nine o'clock
They were out in force to meet her ; her Aunt Lydia Vail , happily tearful and trembling ; Nannie Slade Hunter and Edward R. with the amazingly enlarged and humanized Teddy-bear , in their new roadster ; Sarah Farraday , a little thinner after her hard-driven winter of teaching ; and Martin Wetherby , panting a little even in his thin summer suit , removing his handsome Panama to mop a steaming brow . The first evening was all Miss Lydia 's , save that Sarah was coming over later to stay the night , and again Jane sat in the rosewood and mahogany dining room , served by the middle-aged maid who did not know that there was a servant problem , and ate the reliable stock supper -- the three slices of pink boiled ham on the ancient and honorable platter of blue willow pattern ware , the small pot of honey , the two kinds of preserves , the hot biscuit , the delicate cups of not-too-strong , uncolored Japan tea , the sugar cookies , the pale custard . Miss Vail had missed her niece acutely , as she would have missed a lovely elm from the street or the silhouette of the mountain which she got from her bedroom window , but she had wanted the dear girl to be happy , and she clearly was happy , brimmingly , radiantly , and she had gone down to her twice for merry and bewildered little visits and had come thankfully home again . She beamed at her now across the table and insisted , as of old , that she eat two of the three slices of pink ham shaved to a refined thinness , and then they went into the pretty parlor and visited cozily until the little spinster 's head began to jerk forward in the pauses , and Sarah Farraday , who had waited conscientiously until nine o'clock , appeared . Then Miss Lydia went upstairs to take off her plump , snug things and slip into her flannelette nightdress -- the nights were still what she called `` pretty sharp , '' and get into bed and `` read until she got sleepy . '' `` Hannah says she sneaks in every night and snaps off the light after she 's sound asleep , '' said Sarah . `` It 's a mercy she does n't have to use a lamp , -- she 'd have burnt the house down years ago . ''