noon
The first check this tranquillity received was upon the day of the masquerade , the preparations for which have been already mentioned . The whole house was then in commotion from various arrangements and improvements which were planned for almost every apartment that was to be opened for the reception of masks . Cecilia herself , however little pleased with the attendant circumstance of wantonly accumulating unnecessary debts , was not the least animated of the party : she was a stranger to every diversion of this sort , and from the novelty of the scene , hoped for uncommon satisfaction . At noon Mrs Harrel sent for her to consult upon a new scheme which occurred to Mr Harrel , of fixing in fantastic forms some coloured lamps in the drawing-room . While they were all discoursing this matter over , one of the servants , who had two or three times whispered some message to Mr Harrel , and then retired , said , in a voice not too low to be heard by Cecilia , `` Indeed , Sir , I ca n't get him away . '' `` He 's an insolent scoundrel , '' answered Mr Harrel ; `` however , if I must speak to him , I must ; '' and went out of the room . Mrs Harrel still continued to exercise her fancy upon this new project , calling both upon Mr Arnott and Cecilia to admire her taste and contrivance ; till they were all interrupted by the loudness of a voice from below stairs , which frequently repeated , `` Sir , I can wait no longer !