two o'clock
The rows of chairs along the two sides of the room were left unoccupied by the time the music was well under way , for the pianist , a tall colored woman with long fingers and a muscular wrist , played with a verve and a swing that set the feet of the listeners involuntarily in motion . The dance was sure to occupy the class for a quarter of an hour at least , and the little dancing-mistress took the opportunity to slip away to her own sitting-room , which was on the same floor of the block , for a few minutes of rest . Her day had been a hard one . There had been a matinee at two o'clock , a children 's class at four , and at eight o'clock the class now on the floor had assembled . When she reached the sitting-room she gave a start of pleasure . A young man rose at her entrance , and advanced with both hands extended -- a tall , broad-shouldered , fair-haired young man , with a frank and kindly countenance , now lit up with the animation of pleasure . He seemed about twenty-six or twenty-seven years old .