two in the afternoon
One evening an idea flashed upon her that lighted up her dark grief like a beam from heaven . Such an idea could never have smiled on a heart less pure , less virtuous than hers . She determined to go to the Duchesse de Carigliano , not to ask her to give her back her husband 's heart , but to learn the arts by which it had been captured ; to engage the interest of this haughty fine lady for the mother of her lover 's children ; to appeal to her and make her the instrument of her future happiness , since she was the cause of her present wretchedness . So one day Augustine , timid as she was , but armed with supernatural courage , got into her carriage at two in the afternoon to try for admittance to the boudoir of the famous coquette , who was never visible till that hour . Madame de Sommervieux had not yet seen any of the ancient and magnificent mansions of the Faubourg Saint-Germain . As she made her way through the stately corridors , the handsome staircases , the vast drawing-rooms -- full of flowers , though it was in the depth of winter , and decorated with the taste peculiar to women born to opulence or to the elegant habits of the aristocracy , Augustine felt a terrible clutch at her heart ; she coveted the secrets of an elegance of which she had never had an idea ; she breathed in an air of grandeur which explained the attraction of the house for her husband . When she reached the private rooms of the Duchess she was filled with jealousy and a sort of despair , as she admired the luxurious arrangement of the furniture , the draperies and the hangings .