six o'clock before
Now tell me whom you saw . Charles Sylvester , of course ? But no , I am too sleepy now ; you shall tell me all about it after dinner . '' It was six o'clock before the Colonel was able to deposit his bulky , military person rather stiffly on a cushioned seat , and to remove his immaculate silk hat , with an expression of weary satisfaction . He had devoted all the sunny spring afternoon , -LRB- when he might have been at Hurlingham , or playing whist at the `` Rag '' -RRB- , to making his way , laboriously and apologetically , from room to room in search of friends and acquaintances , whom , when found , he would convoy strategically into the immediate vicinity of No. 37 in the First Room . `` My nephew 's picture , '' he explained ; `` nice thing ! I do n't know much about painting '' -LRB- he called it paintin ' -RRB- `` and art , and all that sort of thing , but I believe it 's about as good as they make them . ''