eight o'clock
What had happened was that shortly before , at three o'clock , his fate had practically been sealed , and that even when one pretended to no quarrel with it the moment had something of the grimness of a crunched key in the strongest lock that could be made . There was nothing to do as yet , further , but feel what one had done , and our personage felt it while he aimlessly wandered . It was already as if he were married , so definitely had the solicitors , at three o'clock , enabled the date to be fixed , and by so few days was that date now distant . He was to dine at half-past eight o'clock with the young lady on whose behalf , and on whose father 's , the London lawyers had reached an inspired harmony with his own man of business , poor Calderoni , fresh from Rome and now apparently in the wondrous situation of being `` shown London , '' before promptly leaving it again , by Mr. Verver himself , Mr. Verver whose easy way with his millions had taxed to such small purpose , in the arrangements , the principle of reciprocity . The reciprocity with which the Prince was during these minutes most struck was that of Calderoni 's bestowal of his company for a view of the lions . If there was one thing in the world the young man , at this juncture , clearly intended , it was to be much more decent as a son-in-law than lots of fellows he could think of had shown themselves in that character . He thought of these fellows , from whom he was so to differ , in English ; he used , mentally , the English term to describe his difference , for , familiar with the tongue from his earliest years , so that no note of strangeness remained with him either for lip or for ear , he found it convenient , in life , for the greatest number of relations .