twelve
o'clock
Her companionable presence soothed him and even made him happy . Her figure , her gestures , her conversation seemed to be the very essence of firmness and repose , and her self-sufficiency always aroused Frederick 's silent admiration . When he told her how perceptibly his new work acted as a sedative upon him , she replied that she had had the same experience , and if he did not fly off at a tangent but remained steadily at the work , he would feel the good it did him even more . Ingigerd Halström had `` invited '' the artists to her rehearsal at twelve o'clock . When they gathered in Miss Burns 's room -- beside Frederick , there were Ritter , Lobkowitz , Willy Snyders , Miss Burns , and the gypsy-like painter Franck , who carried a portfolio and sketching material -- there was a certain solemnity in their manner . It was a clear day and the streets were dry , and they decided to walk to the theatre . On the way Ritter told Frederick of a little country house he was building for himself on Long Island .