eleven o'clock
* * * * * There was a large crowd outside the palace that night , which was clear and starry . A troop of cavalry patrolled the fence . Carriage after carriage rolled in through the gates , coming directly from the opera . It was eleven o'clock . All the great in the duchy were on hand that night . Often a cheer rose from the ranks of the outsiders as some popular general or some famous beauty passed . It was an orderly crowd , jostling and good-natured , held only by curiosity .