ten o'clock
This exquisite sense of duty which Nature has written in indelible characters on the hearts of the worthy , was shown in a still more remarkable fashion at the private balls given by the Casino of Lancia every fortnight during the winter . It will be easily surmised that none of the high-born señoritas who demurred at appearing at the promenade when it was empty , were likely to be the first to arrive at the salon of the Casino . But as there was no side walk here , from whence they could take a bird 's - eye view , and they could not keep a watch from the windows at night , these clever young ladies , as high-born as they were ingenious , hit upon a means of saving their honour . Soon after ten o'clock , when the ball was supposed to begin , they sent their papas or brothers on a little voyage of discovery . They went in in a careless sort of way , sat down in the armchairs , cut a few jokes with the raw youths in buttoned up frock-coats who were impatiently standing about , fastening each other 's gloves , and then , making some excuse , they soon retired to tell their families that nobody had arrived yet . Ah ! how often did those young men in the frock-coats wait the whole night in vain for the arrival of their beautiful partners !