nine o'clock
There , with sudden cunning , they rose to the occasion and traversed the lobby , walking fast and standing unnaturally erect . Once in the dining-room they repeated their performance . They were torn between intermittent convulsive laughter and sudden spasmodic discussions of politics , college , and the sunny state of their dispositions . Their watches told them that it was now nine o'clock , and a dim idea was born in them that they were on a memorable party , something that they would remember always . They lingered over the second bottle . Either of them had only to mention the word `` mortifying '' to send them both into riotous gasps . The dining-room was whirring and shifting now ; a curious lightness permeated and rarefied the heavy air .