six o'clock
To us entered Dolly and Phillis . Our hostess , together with Kitty and the other girl of the party -- an American young lady of considerable personal attractions -- had driven off to church in what is locally called a `` machine . '' The duties of escort had been voluntarily undertaken by an undergraduate named Standish , who was the latest recruit to the American young lady 's army of worshippers . The rest of us had stayed at home -- the Admiral because he not infrequently did so ; I because I was expecting Robin back by the `` machine '' -LRB- which was to pick him up at a wayside station , where he had been sitting on his portmanteau ever since six o'clock that morning , having been dropped there by the night mail from London -RRB- , and was anticipating two or three hours ' solid work with him ; Gerald because he had succeeded in evading his eldest sister 's eye during the search for church recruits ; Dolly to look after Phillis ; and Captain Dermott for reasons not unconnected with Dolly . It was Phillis 's birthday , but out of consideration for Scottish views on Sabbath observance the festivities in connection with that anniversary had been postponed until the morrow . However , this did not prevent my daughter from demanding -LRB- and obtaining -RRB- various special privileges of an unofficial character this hot Sunday morning . Consequently a spiritually willing but carnally incompetent band , consisting of one jovial but arthritic baronet , one docile but self-conscious warrior , one indulgent but overheated parent , and Dolly -- Gerald stood scornfully aloof -- were compelled to devote the next two hours to a series of games , stage-plays , and allegories of an innocuous but exhausting description .