about
eight o'clock
Her reply was but two conservative pages ; but she said more in the double sheet of fine English handwriting than Ward had said in three times as much space . A charming letter is one of the fruits of loneliness and reading ; Harriet was sure of her touch . His father , his mother , and Nina each had an epigrammatic line or two , and for his grandmother Harriet dared a little wit , and smiled to imagine his shout of appreciative laughter . She dined as usual alone , that evening , and was surprised , at about eight o'clock , to receive the demure notification from Rosa that Mrs. Carter would like to see her . Harriet glanced at a mirror ; her brassy hair was as smoothly moulded as its tendency to curve and ring ever permitted , and she wore a thin old transparent white gown that looked at least comparatively cool on this insufferably hot evening . With hardly an instant 's delay she went downstairs . On the terrace outside the drawing-room windows they were at a card table : Richard , looking tired and hot in rumpled white , Isabelle exquisite in silver lace , and young Anthony Pope .