one o’clock in the morning
The supper gave some life to the ball . If the military disasters forbade the delights of dancing , every one felt that they need not exclude the pleasures of the table . The true patriots , however , retired early ; only the more indifferent remained , together with a few card players and the intimate friends of the family . Little by little the brilliantly lighted house , to which all the notabilities of Douai had flocked , sank into silence , and by one o'clock in the morning the great gallery was deserted , the lights were extinguished in one salon after another , and the court-yard , lately so bustling and brilliant , grew dark and gloomy , -- prophetic image of the future that lay before the family . When the Claes returned to their own appartement , Balthazar gave his wife the letter he had received from the Polish officer : Josephine returned it with a mournful gesture ; she foresaw the coming doom . From that day forth , Balthazar made no attempt to disguise the weariness and the depression that assailed him . In the mornings , after the family breakfast , he played for awhile in the parlor with little Jean , and talked to his daughters , who were busy with their sewing , or embroidery or lace-work ; but he soon wearied of the play and of the talk , and seemed at last to get through with them as a duty .