three in the afternoon
De Pretis said that the only cause for anxiety was from stage fright , and went away taking snuff and flourishing his immense cotton handkerchief . I thought a man must be a fool to work for years in order to sing , and then , when he had learned to do it quite well , to be afraid of showing what he knew . I did not think Nino would be frightened . Of course there was a final rehearsal at eleven , and Nino put off the hour of the lesson with the contessina to three in the afternoon , by some excuse or other . He must have felt very much pressed for time , having to give her a lesson on the very day of his coming out ; and besides , he knew very well that it might be the last of his days with her , and that a great deal would depend on the way he bore himself at his trial . He sang badly , or thought he did , at the rehearsal , and grew more and more depressed and grave as the day advanced . He came out of the little stage door of the Apollo theatre at Tor di Nona , and his eyes fell upon the broad bills and posters announcing the first appearance of `` Giovanni Cardegna , the most distinguished pupil of the Maestro Ercole de Pretis , in Donizetti 's opera the ` Favorita . ' ''