ten in the morning
But most of our parties were not such elegant affairs , though sometimes they were even more fun , like the Fergusons ' calico ball , where I wore my grandmother 's gingham , and prunella shoes ; or the party the Sumner Light Guards gave , which was the prettiest of all on account of the young men 's uniforms , and the way we sat around the little refreshment tables between dances with our mothers and our partners , the band playing all the time , and every one so gay . I sometimes went to as many as four parties a week , so that in the morning it was all I could do to be up in time to see breakfast on the table . I found out that being a housekeeper meant more than long petticoats , and pouring tea . It meant being all over the house before ten in the morning , for , as Abby said , a house has a lot of strings to it , and unless you keep them all tied up tight something 's going to sag . But I enjoyed my authority of the house , and my liberty abroad seemed like license to me . I felt launched on a wide sea of life . The city itself was changed to my new horizon .