seven in the evening
Thus the opening night of the fête drew near . During the afternoon a crowd of hairdressers moved into the Casino , to assist members of the club in getting themselves up properly . The regimental tailor , with his aides , went from one officer 's house to another , making alterations or needed repairs on the uniforms and costumes to be donned . At seven in the evening the orderlies , in the black garments of waiters , were expecting the guests and members , and half an hour later these began to arrive in crowds . It was a multi-colored , vivid picture , as all these persons , many of them good-looking and picturesquely attired , in all sorts of disguises , began to move in the brilliantly lighted halls , while the several bands , placed at coigns of vantage , struck up lively and inspiring airs . Dancing began at once , and champagne flowed in streams . At a garden table under an orange tree one could see a powerfully limbed peasant , his hawthorn stick between his knees , devouring a plateful of caviare , while his neighbor , a circus clown , was dissecting a lobster .