nine o’clock precisely
The latter was the former vicar of Saint-Jacques du Haut-Pas , whose great refinement of manner and gift of preaching had induced the archbishop to remove him from the humble parish where his career had begun to the aristocratic church of the Madeleine . Since Madame Thuillier and Celeste had again become his parishioners , the young abbe visited them occasionally , and Thuillier , who had gone to him to explain , after his own fashion , the suitableness of the choice made for Celeste in the person of la Peyrade -LRB- taking pains as he did so to cast reflections on the religious opinions of Felix Phellion -RRB- , had easily led him to contribute by his persuasive words to the resignation of the victim . When the time came to sit down to table three guests were missing , -- two Minards , father and son , and the notary Dupuis . The latter had written a note to Thuillier in the morning , excusing himself from the dinner , but saying that at nine o'clock precisely he would bring the contract and place himself at the orders of Mademoiselle Thuillier . As for Julien Minard , his mother excused him as being confined to his room with a sore-throat . The absence of Minard senior remained unexplained , but Madame Minard insisted that they should sit down to table without him ; which was done , Brigitte ordering that the soup be kept hot for him , because in the bourgeois code of manners and customs a dinner without soup is no dinner at all . The repast was far from gay , and though the fare was better , the vivacity and the warmth of the conversation was far , indeed , from that of the famous improvised banquet at the time of the election to the Council-general .