seven in the evening
The concierge thought that this woman was a German , but she herself said that she was Swiss . She was a cashier in a shop -- not the one in which her husband was employed . In the mornings they left home together , separating in the Place d'Etoile . At seven in the evening they met here , greeting each other with a kiss , like lovers who meet for the first time ; and then after supper , they returned to their nest in the rue de la Pompe . All Argensola 's attempts at friendliness with these neighbors were repulsed because of their self-centredness . They responded with freezing courtesy ; they lived only for themselves . The other apartment of two rooms was occupied by a single man .