six o'clock
He and his two companions were placed at different points at the great table , so that as many as possible could hear the story of the battle . After the meal was over , Hector was glad to leave the salon , and in company with a gentleman of the household , who had volunteered to be his guide , spent the afternoon in visiting the principal sights of Paris , of which he had seen but little when a boy in barracks . The hotels of the nobles , each a fortress rather than a private building , interested him greatly , as also the streets in which the principal traders lived ; but he was unfavourably impressed with the appearance of the population in all other parts , and could well understand what his guide told him , that it was dangerous in the extreme for a gentleman unattended to pass through these quarters . At six o'clock he sat down to the evening meal at Conde 's , after which , having attired himself in his new suit , he repaired with de Penthiere and de Caussac to the Louvre . It was eight o'clock when they entered , the reception rooms were already full , and the brilliancy of the attire , both of the courtiers and ladies , seen by the light of great chandeliers , was impressive in the extreme to one who had never seen any gathering of the kind before . There was a little pause in the buzz of conversation as the three officers entered , and Hector 's two companions were at once surrounded by friends , while he himself was joined by Colonel Maclvor and the other two officers . `` You are the heroes of the evening , Campbell , '' the former said with a laugh .