one
o'clock to four
Hence it was , that in the latter period of his life , though less perhaps from actual hunger than from some uneasy sensation of habit or periodical irritation of stomach , he could hardly wait with patience for the arrival of the last person invited . There was no friend of Kant 's but considered the day on which he was to dine with him as a day of pleasure . Without giving himself the air of an instructor , Kant really was so in the very highest degree . The whole entertainment was seasoned with the overflow of his enlightened mind , poured out naturally and unaffectedly upon every topic , as the chances of conversation suggested it ; and the time flew rapidly away , from one o'clock to four , five , or even later , profitably and delightfully . Kant tolerated no _ calms _ , which was the name he gave to the momentary pauses in conversation , or periods when its animation languished . Some means or other he always devised for restoring its tone of interest , in which he was much assisted by the tact with which he drew from every guest his peculiar tastes , or the particular direction of his pursuits ; and on these , be they what they might , he was never unprepared to speak with knowledge , and the interest of an original observer . The local affairs of Königsberg must have been interesting indeed , before they could be allowed to occupy the attention at _ his _ table .