ten o'clock
But tell me , sir , exactly , at what time I may acquaint Mrs Delvile I shall wait upon her ? '' `` Perhaps , '' he answered , `` by eight o'clock ; perhaps by nine ; you will not mind half an hour ? '' `` Certainly not ; '' she answered , unwilling by disputing about a trifle to diminish his satisfaction in her assistance . She wrote , therefore , another note to Mrs Delvile , desiring she would not expect her till near ten o'clock , and promising to account and apologize for these seeming caprices when she had the honour of seeing her . The rest of the afternoon she spent wholly in exhorting Mrs Harrel to shew more fortitude , and conjuring her to study nothing while abroad but oeconomy , prudence and housewifery ; a lesson how hard for the thoughtless and negligent Priscilla ! she heard the advice with repugnance , and only answered it with helpless complaints that she knew not how to spend less money than she had always done . After tea , Mr Harrel , still in high spirits , went out , entreating Cecilia to stay with Priscilla till his return , which he promised should be early .