five o'clock
Forty years of Indian sun ! Balls in the Government House in Calcutta ! Viceroys , tigers , horse-racing , elephants , jealousies , flirtations , deaths , all now forgotten , and if not forgotten , at rest ; and now glad to watch life unfolding itself again in an English village , this old couple sat in the calm sunlight of an English garden , relics of another generation , emblems of an England drawing to a close . At five o'clock Grace was busy at the tea-table ; and very hot and moist Sally threw herself into a cane chair . Maggie , who had suddenly appeared upon the scene , arranged some fresh sets in which she and Frank did not take part -- she having promised to walk with him ; and they went towards the shade of the sycamores . She had neglected him nearly the whole day , and he was vexed with her . But she excused herself volubly , accusing Sally of indifference to all things except her own pleasures , and impressed upon him that it was her duty to show some politeness to Mrs. Horlock 's friend .