nine in the morning
The room in which Miss Belvoir received her friends was very large , long and low , and had a delightful view of the river from the Embankment . It was a greyish afternoon , vague and misty , and one saw from the windows views that looked exactly like pictures by Whistler . The room was furnished in a Post-Impressionist style , chiefly in red , black and brown ; the colours were all plain -- that is to say , there were no designs except on the ceiling , which was cosily covered with large , brilliantly tinted , life-sized parrots . Miss Belvoir 's brother , Fred , often declared that when he came home late , which he generally did -- between six and nine in the morning were his usual hours -- he always had to stop himself from getting a gun , and he was afraid that some day he might lose his self-control and be tempted to shoot the parrots . He was an excellent shot . The room was full of low bookcases crammed with books , and large fat cushions on the floor . They looked extremely comfortable , but as a matter of fact nobody ever liked sitting on them .