five o'clock in the morning
All that he could do was to murmur from time to time , with a slight trembling of the lips , `` I am happy ; I am happy ! '' Indeed , he had reason to be happy . Since early morning the poor man had fancied that he was being whirled along in one of those magnificent dreams from which one fears lest he may awake suddenly with blinded eyes ; but it seemed to him as if this dream would never end . It had begun at five o'clock in the morning , and at ten o'clock at night , exactly ten o'clock by Vefour 's clock , he was still dreaming . How many things had happened during that day , and how vividly he remembered the most trivial details . He saw himself , at daybreak , striding up and down his bachelor quarters , delight mingled with impatience , clean-shaven , his coat on , and two pairs of white gloves in his pocket . Then there were the wedding-coaches , and in the foremost one -- the one with white horses , white reins , and a yellow damask lining -- the bride , in her finery , floated by like a cloud .