about nine o’clock at night
The Cranfordians had that kindly _ esprit de corps _ which made them overlook all deficiencies in success when some among them tried to conceal their poverty . When Mrs Forrester , for instance , gave a party in her baby-house of a dwelling , and the little maiden disturbed the ladies on the sofa by a request that she might get the tea-tray out from underneath , everyone took this novel proceeding as the most natural thing in the world , and talked on about household forms and ceremonies as if we all believed that our hostess had a regular servants ' hall , second table , with housekeeper and steward , instead of the one little charity-school maiden , whose short ruddy arms could never have been strong enough to carry the tray upstairs , if she had not been assisted in private by her mistress , who now sat in state , pretending not to know what cakes were sent up , though she knew , and we knew , and she knew that we knew , and we knew that she knew that we knew , she had been busy all the morning making tea-bread and sponge-cakes . There were one or two consequences arising from this general but unacknowledged poverty , and this very much acknowledged gentility , which were not amiss , and which might be introduced into many circles of society to their great improvement . For instance , the inhabitants of Cranford kept early hours , and clattered home in their pattens , under the guidance of a lantern-bearer , about nine o'clock at night ; and the whole town was abed and asleep by half-past ten . Moreover , it was considered `` vulgar '' -LRB- a tremendous word in Cranford -RRB- to give anything expensive , in the way of eatable or drinkable , at the evening entertainments . Wafer bread-and-butter and sponge-biscuits were all that the Honourable Mrs Jamieson gave ; and she was sister-in-law to the late Earl of Glenmire , although she did practise such `` elegant economy . '' `` Elegant economy ! ''