nearly six o’clock
Other things on the menu were also ordered at various times , and all went so well that when Thaddeus left home on the chosen Wednesday morning , it was with a serene sense of good times ahead . The invited guests had accepted , and everything was promising . As Thaddeus had said , Wednesday was his busy day , and never had it been busier than upon this occasion . Everything moved smoothly , but there was a great deal to move , and finally , when all was done , and Thaddeus rose to leave his desk , it was nearly six o'clock , and quite impossible for him to reach home before seven . `` I shall be late , '' he said , as he hurried off ; and he was right . He arrived at home coincidently with his guests , rushed to his room , and dressed . But one glimpse had he of Bessie , and that was as they passed on the stairs , she hurrying down to receive her guests , he hurrying up to change his clothes .