three o'clock
Then came his succession to the title , and Viscount Honeybourne , as the papers made known , presently set forth on travel which was to cover all British territory . He came back with an American wife , an incalculable fortune , and much knowledge of Greater Britain ; moreover he had gained a serious spirit , and henceforth devoted himself to Colonial affairs . His young wife -- she was seventeen at the time of her marriage -- straightway took a conspicuous place in English Society , her note being intellectual and social earnestness . The play was to begin at three o'clock . Arriving half an hour before , Dymchurch found his hostess in the open-air theatre , beset with managerial cares , whilst her company , already dressed for their parts , sat together under the greenwood tree , and a few guests strayed about the grass . He had met Lady Honeybourne only once , and that a couple of years ago ; with difficulty they recognised each other . Lord Honeybourne , she told him , had hoped to be here , but the missing of a steamer -LRB- he had run over , just for a day or two , to Jamaica -RRB- would make him too late .