a quarter past two
Moreover , it was his ideal of an entertainment , where art and music should take the place of the coarser pleasures of eating , drinking , and dancing . Chief of all , Christine would be there , and even he in his blindness became a little uneasy and self-conscious as he realized how this thought towered above the others . She had given him a list of the things he was to bring with him in the afternoon , and he occupied every spare moment in getting them ready . At a quarter past two he summoned the carman of the store , and they loaded up the miscellaneous cargo needed for the coming mysteries , and by three all were before the large elegant mansion to which he had been directed . Dennis rang the bell and was shown by a servant into the front parlor , where he found Miss Ludolph , Miss Brown , a tall , haughty brunette , and the young lady of the house , Miss Winthrop , a bright , sunny-faced blonde , and two or three other young ladies of no special coloring or character , being indebted mainly to their toilets for their attractions . Dennis bowed to Miss Ludolph , and then turned toward the other ladies , expecting as a matter of course to be introduced . No introduction came , but his expectant manner was so obvious that Miss Ludolph colored and looked annoyed , and the other young ladies tittered outright .