half past ten
The household itself subsisted on a copy of the _ Morning Post _ , religiously reserved to Mrs. Hooper after Dr. Hooper had glanced through it -- he , of course , saw _ The Times _ at the Union . But Connie regarded a newspaper at breakfast as a necessary part of life . After her coffee , accordingly , she read _ The Times _ , and smoked a cigarette , proceedings which were a daily source of wonder to Nora and reprobation in the minds of Mrs. Hooper and Alice . Then she generally wrote her letters , and was downstairs after all by half past ten , dressed and ready for the day . Mrs. Hooper declared to Dr. Ewen that she would be ashamed for any of their Oxford friends to know that a niece of his kept such hours , and that it was a shocking example for the servants . But the maids took it with smiles , and were always ready to run up and down stairs for Lady Connie ; while as for Oxford , the invitations which had descended upon the Hooper family , even during the few days since Connie 's arrival , had given Aunt Ellen some feverish pleasure , but perhaps more annoyance . So far from Ewen 's `` position '' being of any advantage to Connie , it was Connie who seemed likely to bring the Hoopers into circles of Oxford society where they had till now possessed but the slenderest footing .