4 A.M.
Gentlemen paid visits on the backs of stout soldiers , ladies went shopping in boats , and family dinners were handed in at two-story windows without causing any remark , so quickly do people adapt themselves to the inevitable . Hardly had the watery excitement subsided when a new event set the city in an uproar . The King was not expected till the tenth of January ; but the kind soul could not wait , and , as soon as the road was passable , he came with 300,000 francs in his hands to see what he could do for his poor Romans . He arrived at 4 A.M. , and though unexpected , the news flew through the city , and a crowd turned out with torches to escort him to the Quirinal . Again did the explosive Pina burst in upon her mistresses with the news , this time in tears of joy , for the people began to think the King would never come , and therefore were especially touched by this prompt visit in the midst of their trouble . The handsome damsel was a spectacle herself , so dramatic was she as she shook her fist at the Pope , and cheered for the King , with a ladle in one hand , an artichoke in the other , her fine eyes flashing , and her mellow voice trembling , while she talked regardless of the _ polenta _ going to destruction in the frying-pan . On went the bonnets , out flew the ladies , and rushed up to the Quirinal , where stood a great crowd waiting eagerly for a sight of the King .