about seven o'clock
No letter -- no message from either Hubert or her father -- what did this silence mean ? The day wore on drearily . She would not go out , much to Madame 's vexation ; she practised , she tried to read , she looked at her dresses -- she tried all the usual feminine arts for passing time , going so far even as to take up some needlework , which she generally detested ; but , in spite of all , the day was cruelly long and blank . She dined early in the afternoon , as she was going to sing that evening ; and it was about seven o'clock that she resolved to go and dress for the party to which she was bound , saying to herself that all hope was over for that day -- that she was not likely to hear from Hubert Lepel that night . Just as she was going up-stairs a knock came to the door . She lingered on the landing , wondering whether any visitor had come for her ; and it was with a great leap of the heart that she heard her own name mentioned , and saw the maid running up the stairs to overtake her before she reached her room . `` It 's Jenkins -- Mr. Lepel 's man , miss , '' said Mary breathlessly ; `` and he wants to know if he can speak to you for a moment . ''