about five o'clock
She accepted with as much eagerness as maidenly modesty would permit , and Jim went off to lunch in the best hotel in town , to take careful note of the proper procedure of a gentleman `` standing treat '' to a lady . He got it off fairly well , making notes on a sheet of paper . Then he went to his room and rehearsed it all . He started dressing himself about five o'clock , and had nearly got his clothes to his satisfaction by the appointed time -- seven-thirty . The dinner was a roaring success . Conversation was feeble because all his time was taken up in observing correct decorum . Edith sat and regarded him with curious eyes .