two in the afternoon
The fan chamber wuz fifty feet square , the walls covered with fans of every size and shape and color . The only furniture in this room wuz two magnificent cabinets of lacquer work and four great , gorgeous bronze vases . The tiffen wuz gin by a high official ; there wuz fifty guests . The hour was two in the afternoon . There wuz ten ladies present -- two beautiful Japanese ladies , dressed in the rich toilette of Japan . The lunch cards wuz little squares of scarlet paper , with black Japanese writing . Josiah looked at the card intently and then whispered to me : `` How be I goin ' to know what I am eatin ' from these duck tracks ? ''