Five o'clock
Fauchery jestingly inquired whether the minister was not coming , too , but Nana answered in a huff that the minister went to the houses of people she did n't care a pin for . What she did not say was that she was possessed with a hope of seeing Count Muffat enter her room among all that stream of people . He might quite have reconsidered his decision , and so while talking to Rose she kept a sharp eye on the door . Five o'clock struck . The dancing had ceased , and the cardplayers alone persisted in their game . Labordette had vacated his seat , and the women had returned into the drawing room . The air there was heavy with the somnolence which accompanies a long vigil , and the lamps cast a wavering light while their burned-out wicks glowed red within their globes .