three
o’clock
She discussed with perfect fearlessness the most difficult questions , thanks to her daily and nightly reading , pursued with an intrepidity worthy of the highest praise . D'Arthez , amazed , and incapable of suspecting that Diane d'Uxelles merely repeated at night that which she read in the morning -LRB- as some writers do -RRB- , regarded her as a most superior woman . These conversations , however , led away from Diane 's object , and she tried to get back to the region of confidences from which d'Arthez had prudently retired after her coquettish rebuff ; but it was not as easy as she expected to bring back a man of his nature who had once been startled away . However , after a month of literary campaigning and the finest platonic discourses , d'Arthez grew bolder , and arrived every day at three o'clock . He retired at six , and returned at nine , to remain until midnight , or one in the morning , with the regularity of an ardent and impatient lover . The princess was always dressed with more or less studied elegance at the hour when d'Arthez presented himself . This mutual fidelity , the care they each took of their appearance , in fact , all about them expressed sentiments that neither dared avow , for the princess discerned very plainly that the great child with whom she had to do shrank from the combat as much as she desired it .