seven o'clock
The facts of the unfortunate separation were like this : Van Bibber gave a great many dinners during the course of the season at Delmonico 's , dinners hardly formal enough to require a private room , and yet too important to allow of his running the risk of keeping his guests standing in the hall waiting for a vacant table . So he conceived the idea of sending Walters over about half-past six to keep a table for him . As everybody knows , you can hold a table yourself at Delmonico 's for any length of time until the other guests arrive , but the rule is very strict about servants . Because , as the head waiter will tell you , if servants were allowed to reserve a table during the big rush at seven o'clock , why not messenger boys ? And it would certainly never do to have half a dozen large tables securely held by minute messengers while the hungry and impatient waited their turn at the door . But Walters looked as much like a gentleman as did many of the diners ; and when he seated himself at the largest table and told the waiter to serve for a party of eight or ten , he did it with such an air that the head waiter came over himself and took the orders . Walters knew quite as much about ordering a dinner as did his master ; and when Van Bibber was too tired to make out the menu , Walters would look over the card himself and order the proper wines and side dishes ; and with such a carelessly severe air and in such a masterly manner did he discharge this high function that the waiters looked upon him with much respect .