three o’clock in the afternoon
If that should prove to be true , then all the rest was true . Her dread of learning the truth was so great that , when she reached her destination and alighted in front of that magnificent establishment , she stopped , afraid to enter . To give herself countenance , she pretended to be deeply interested in the jewels displayed in velvet cases ; and one who had seen her , quietly but fashionably dressed , leaning forward to look at that gleaming and attractive display , would have taken her for a happy wife engaged in selecting a bracelet , rather than an anxious , sorrow-stricken soul who had come thither to discover the secret of her life . It was three o'clock in the afternoon . At that time of day , in winter , the Rue de la Paix presents a truly dazzling aspect . In that luxurious neighborhood , life moves quickly between the short morning and the early evening . There are carriages moving swiftly in all directions , a ceaseless rumbling , and on the sidewalks a coquettish haste , a rustling of silks and furs .