seven o'clock
Delaherche was for taking him home to his house forthwith , but he resisted . No , no ; he was no longer a human being , he would not frighten people out of their wits . The manufacturer had to make solemn oath that neither his wife nor his mother had risen yet ; and besides he should have soap , water , linen , everything he needed . It was seven o'clock when Captain Beaudoin , having done what he could with the means at his disposal to improve his appearance , and comforted by the sensation of wearing under his uniform a clean shirt of his host 's , made his appearance in the spacious , high-ceiled dining room with its somber wainscoting . The elder Madame Delaherche was already there , for she was always on foot at daybreak , notwithstanding she was seventy-eight years old . Her hair was snowy white ; in her long , lean face was a nose almost preternaturally thin and sharp and a mouth that had long since forgotten how to laugh . She rose , and with stately politeness invited the captain to be seated before one of the cups of _ cafe au lait _ that stood on the table .