fifteen minutes past four
In so much they were all agreed , but there were several debatable points . Whether the stones were made of gold , and whether the houses were not gold too , and , that being the case , whether it would not hurt your eyes to look at them . Marietta declared , blasphemously , as the others thought , that she preferred a simple grey stone villa or at most one of pink stucco , to all the golden edifices that Paradise contained . It was by now fifteen minutes past four , and a spectator had arrived , though none of the five were aware of his presence . The spectator was standing on the wall above the garden border examining with appreciation the idyllic scene below him , and with most particular appreciation , the dainty white-clad person of the girl on the balustrade . He was wondering -- anxiously -- how he might make his presence known . For no very tangible reason he had suddenly become conscious that the matter would be easier if he carried in his pocket a letter of introduction .