two in the morning
Then Mrs. Skene was carried away to London , wondering whether it could be quite right for a young lady to live in a gorgeous castle without any elder of her own sex , and to speak freely and civilly to her inferiors . When she got home she said nothing of her excursion to Mr. Skene , in whose disposition valor so entirely took the place of discretion that he had never been known to keep a secret except as to the whereabouts of a projected fight . But she sat up late with her daughter Fanny , tantalizing her by accounts of the splendor of the castle , and consoling her by describing Miss Carew as a slight creature with red hair and no figure -LRB- Fanny having jet black hair , fine arms , and being one of Cashel 's most proficient pupils -RRB- . `` All the same , Fan , '' added Mrs. Skene , as she took her candlestick at two in the morning , `` if it comes off , Cashel will never be master in his own house . '' `` I can see that very plain , '' said Fanny ; `` but if respectable professional people are not good enough for him , he will have only himself to thank if he gets himself looked down upon by empty-headed swells . '' Meanwhile , Lydia , on her return to the castle after a long drive round the country , had attempted to overcome an attack of restlessness by setting to work on the biography of her father . With a view to preparing a chapter on his taste in literature she had lately been examining his favorite books for marked passages .