three o'clock in the afternoon
There was no need of any words when they got home , for Father and Mother saw plainly now what they had prayed to be saved from seeing . Tired with her short journey , Beth went at once to bed , saying how glad she was to be home , and when Jo went down , she found that she would be spared the hard task of telling Beth 's secret . Her father stood leaning his head on the mantelpiece and did not turn as she came in , but her mother stretched out her arms as if for help , and Jo went to comfort her without a word . At three o'clock in the afternoon , all the fashionable world at Nice may be seen on the Promenade des Anglais -- a charming place , for the wide walk , bordered with palms , flowers , and tropical shrubs , is bounded on one side by the sea , on the other by the grand drive , lined with hotels and villas , while beyond lie orange orchards and the hills . Many nations are represented , many languages spoken , many costumes worn , and on a sunny day the spectacle is as gay and brilliant as a carnival . Haughty English , lively French , sober Germans , handsome Spaniards , ugly Russians , meek Jews , free-and-easy Americans , all drive , sit , or saunter here , chatting over the news , and criticizing the latest celebrity who has arrived -- Ristori or Dickens , Victor Emmanuel or the Queen of the Sandwich Islands . The equipages are as varied as the company and attract as much attention , especially the low basket barouches in which ladies drive themselves , with a pair of dashing ponies , gay nets to keep their voluminous flounces from overflowing the diminutive vehicles , and little grooms on the perch behind .