seven o'clock
If only a man could but live in his hall and be for ever happy there ! But the Duke of Omnium could not live happily in his hall ; and the fact was , that the architect , in contriving this magnificent entrance for his own honour and fame , had destroyed the duke 's house as regards most of the ordinary purposes of residence . Nevertheless , Gatherum Castle is a very noble pile ; and , standing as it does on an eminence , has a very fine effect when seen from many a distant knoll and verdant-wooded hill . At seven o'clock Mr de Courcy and his friends got down from their drag at the smaller door -- for this was no day on which to mount up under the portico ; nor was that any suitable vehicle to have been entitled to such honour . Frank felt some excitement a little stronger than that usual to him at such moments , for he had never yet been in company with the Duke of Omnium ; and he rather puzzled himself to think on what points he would talk to the man who was the largest landowner in that county in which he himself had so great an interest . He , however , made up his mind that he would allow the duke to choose his own subjects ; merely reserving to himself the right of pointing out how deficient in gorse covers was West Barsetshire -- that being the duke 's division . They were soon divested of their coats and hats , and , without entering on the magnificence of the great hall , were conducted through rather a narrow passage into rather a small drawing-room -- small , that is , in proportion to the number of gentlemen there assembled .