about three o'clock in the afternoon
Then , when the pealing organ and the swelling anthem filled the vast dome with majestic harmony , the superb voice of Josephine Franklin would soar far above the rolling flood of melody , and her magnificent charms would become the cynosure of all eyes . Few noticed the fair young creature at her side , her golden hair parted simply over her pure brow , and her mild blue eyes cast modestly upon the page of the hymn-book before her . Having now introduced Mrs. Lucretia Franklin and her two daughters to the reader , we shall proceed at once to bring them forward as active participants in the events of our history . It was about three o'clock in the afternoon ; in a sumptuous chamber of Franklin House -LRB- for by that high-sounding title was the residence of the wealthy widow known , -RRB- two ladies were engaged in the absorbing mysteries of a singular toilet . One of these ladies was just issuing from a bath . Although not young , she was very handsome ; and her partially denuded form exhibited all the matured fullness of a ripened womanhood . This lady was Mrs. Lucretia Franklin .