three o'clock
Smiling and curtseying , she replied -- `` Yes , sir ; and I am sorry for it . Lord bless your handsome face , though you be a stranger gentleman , it does one 's heart good to see you so devoutly given ! '' Thaddeus blushed at this personal compliment , though it came from the lips of a wrinkled old woman ; and begging permission to assist her down the stairs , he asked when service would begin again . `` At three o'clock , sir , and may Heaven bless the mother who bore so pious a son ! '' While the poor woman spoke , she raised her eyes with a melancholy resignation . The count , touched with her words and manner , almost unconsciously to himself , continued by her side as she hobbled down the street . His eyes were fixed on the ground , until somebody pressing against him , made him look round .