three o'clock
It was Rosalie 's wish to display her neatness to Zephyrin on the Sunday . That was her reception day . A single cobweb would have filled her with shame ; but when everything shone resplendent around her she became amiable , and burst into song . At three o'clock she would again wash her hands and don a cap gay with ribbons . Then the curtain being drawn halfway , so that only the subdued light of a boudoir came in , she awaited Zephyrin 's arrival amidst all this primness , through which a pleasant scent of thyme and laurel was borne . At half-past three exactly Zephyrin made his appearance ; he would walk about the street until the clocks of the neighborhood had struck the half-hour . Rosalie listened to the beat of his heavy shoes on the stairs , and opened the door the moment he halted on the landing .