about two o'clock
she will reign long , gentlemen -- as long as possible . '' The young goddess , for the present , did not go farther than Lannilis , in Poitou , to her husband 's home -- her home -- in a mansion that had seen many Duchesses of Lannilis , but never one more charming , and never , it must be said , one more absolutely in love . This little duchess of nineteen was wild about this little duke of twenty-five , who was jealously carrying her off for himself alone to a quiet and solitary retreat . They had arrived Thursday , the 24th of June , at about two o'clock -- on an exquisite night beneath a star-spangled sky -- and they were suddenly astounded at receiving a letter from their Aunt Louise , dated July 1 : `` Eight days ' steady tête-à-tête , '' she wrote , `` is enough , quite enough . Trust to the experience of an old countrywoman , who would be delighted to kiss her little nephew and niece . Do n't eat all your love in the bud -- keep a little for the future . '' Thursday , the 1st of July !