nine o'clock
The prospective arrival of Mr. Brent 's French motor car , which was looked for daily , had indeed been one of the chief topics of conversation at Quicksands that summer . He could appear at no lunch or dinner party without being subjected to a shower of questions as to where it was , and as many as half a dozen different women among whom was Mrs. Chandos -- declared that he had promised to bring them out from New York on the occasion of its triumphal entry into the colony . Honora , needless to say , had betrayed no curiosity . Neither Mr. Shorter nor Mr. Cuthbert had appeared at the real estate office when , at a little after nine o'clock ; Honora asked for the keys . And an office boy , perched on the box seat of the carriage , drove with them to the house and opened the wrought-iron gate that guarded the entrance , and the massive front door . Honora had a sense of unreality as they entered , and told herself it was obviously ridiculous that she should aspire to such a dwelling . Yesterday , under the spell of that somewhat adventurous excursion with Mr. Cuthbert , she had pictured herself as installed .