nine o'clock
He could at least dress himself , walk to the Court-house and -- look on . Any black coat and white shirt was sufficiently de rigueur for Indian Spring . Mr. Ford added the superfluous elegance of a forgotten white waistcoat . When he reached the sidewalk it was only nine o'clock , but the windows of the Court-house were already flaring like a stranded steamer on the barren bank where it had struck . On the way thither he was once or twice tempted to change his mind , and hesitated even at the very door . But the fear that his hesitation would be noticed by the few loungers before it , and the fact that some of them were already hesitating through bashfulness , determined him to enter . The clerks ' office and judges ' chambers on the lower floor had been invaded by wraps , shawls , and refreshments , but the dancing was reserved for the upper floor or courtroom , still unfinished .