four o'clock precisely
It was the order he gave when he expected the visit of a superior officer , for as a rule Pica only shaved twice a week , and never put on a cloth tunic except when he had leave for the afternoon and evening . The little house at Monteverde was a lonely place and the soldier did no military duty , living the life of an ordinary house servant . It was a good place , for the Captain was generous . With an affectation of extreme punctuality , the Princess 's footman rang the bell at four o'clock precisely , and almost before the distant tinkle was heard Pica opened the door wide and saluted the visitor , flattening himself against the door-post to give her plenty of room . He looked very smart in his best uniform , and she smiled and glanced at his handsome Saracen face as she passed in . He shut the door at once , leaving the footman outside . At the same moment Captain Severi was descending the short flight of stone steps to meet her .