seven o’clock
The Seguins ' landau was waiting at the door . When they had got into it with their friend , it occurred to Mathieu to raise his eyes ; and at one of the windows he perceived Celeste standing between the two children , intent , no doubt , on assuring herself that Monsieur and Madame were really going . The young man recalled Reine 's departure from her parents ; but here both Lucie and Gaston remained motionless , gravely mournful , and neither their father nor their mother once thought of looking up at them . AT half-past seven o'clock , when Mathieu arrived at the restaurant on the Place de la Madeleine where he was to meet his employer , he found him already there , drinking a glass of madeira with his customer , M. Firon-Badinier . The dinner was a remarkable one ; choice viands and the best wines were served in abundance . But Mathieu was struck less by the appetite which the others displayed than by Beauchene 's activity and skill . Glass in hand , never losing a bite , he had already persuaded his customer , by the time the roast arrived , to order not only the new thresher but also a mowing machine .