six in the evening
She was constant as her shadow ; a faithful watch-dog , always at hand , yet never obtrusive . She was a creature who seemed to have been born without eyes and without ears ; so careless was the widow of her presence , so reckless what secrets were disclosed in her hearing . By daylight the life of Madame Durski and her companion , Miss Brewer , seemed the dullest existence ever endured by womankind . Paulina rarely left her own apartment until six in the evening ; at which hour , she and Miss Brewer dined together in her boudoir . They always dined alone . After dinner Paulina returned to her apartment to dress for the evening , while Miss Brewer retired to her own bedroom on the upper story , where she arrayed herself invariably in black velvet . She had never been seen by the visitors at Hilton House in any other costume than this lustreless velvet .