about midnight
to the great horror of an English lady , who would have seen all Rome upset without any unseemly excitement . That night the gas gave out , and mysterious orders were left at houses for lamps to be kept burning till morning . Thieves abounded , and the ladies prepared their arms -- one pistol , one dagger , and a large umbrella -- then slept peacefully , undisturbed by the commotion in the kitchen , where cats , live chickens , and Pina 's five grandmothers , all lived together , rent free . Amanda 's last prediction was , that they would find themselves gently floating out at the Porta Pia about midnight . Mat wailed for a submerged gallery in which she had hoped to ice herself on the morrow , and Livy indulged the sinful hope that the Pope would get his pontifical petticoats very wet , be a little drowned , and terribly scared by the flood , because he spoilt the Christmas festivities , and shut up all the cardinals ' red coaches . Next day the water began to abate , and people made up their minds that the end of the world was not yet . Gentlemen paid visits on the backs of stout soldiers , ladies went shopping in boats , and family dinners were handed in at two-story windows without causing any remark , so quickly do people adapt themselves to the inevitable .