Three o'clock
I do n't know when she will be finished . '' Mr Farrell turned imperiously to the butler . `` Be kind enough to send a message to Miss Mary that I object to having the horses kept waiting . Three o'clock was the hour arranged , and it is already a quarter past . Ask how soon she will be ready ! '' The man departed , and there was an uncomfortable silence for several minutes , broken at last by the banging of a door and the sound of racing footsteps . A white-and-blue vision came flying down the staircase , with filmy skirts floating behind , white feathers drooping over the golden hair , a cobweb parasol unfurled , and held triumphantly aloft .