four o'clock in the
afternoon
By Heaven 's kindness the ideal ambassador was ready to his hand -- a man of affairs , accustomed to delicate negotiations , yet -LRB- the Count added -RRB- honourable , true , faithful , and tender-hearted . `` My friend Dieppe will rejoice to serve me , '' he said to himself with more cheerfulness than he had felt since first the barricade had reared its hated front . He sent his servant to beg the favour of Dieppe 's company . At the moment -- which , to be precise , was four o'clock in the afternoon -- no invitation could have been more unwelcome to Captain Dieppe . He had received his note from the hands of a ragged urchin as he strolled by the river an hour before : its purport rather excited than alarmed him ; but the rendezvous mentioned was so ill-chosen , from his point of view , that it caused him dismay . And he had in vain tried to catch sight of the Countess or find means of communicating with her without arousing suspicion . He had other motives too for shrinking from such expressions of friendliness as he had reason to anticipate from his host .