six o'clock before
He took an instant fancy to Georgia , and of course Georgia liked him -- everybody liked Ashley , Tom explained . So Betty 's last worriment vanished , leaving nothing to mar the perfection of her afternoon . The Hilton girls ' brilliant idea of turning their tea into a dance had been speedily copied by the Westcott and the Belden , and the other houses `` came in strong on refreshments , cozy-corners , and conversation , '' as Ashley put it . So it was six o'clock before any one dreamed that it could be so late , and the men went off to their hotels for dinner , leaving the girls to gloat over the flower-boxes piled high on the hall-table , to gossip over the afternoon 's adventures , and then hurry off to dress , dinner being a superfluity to them after so many salads and sandwiches , ices and macaroons , all far more appetizing than a campus dinner menu . `` I 'll come down to your room in time to help you finish dressing , '' Betty promised Georgia . `` My things slip on in a minute . '' But she had reckoned without a loose nail in the stair-carpet , which , apparently resenting her hasty progress past it , had torn a yard of filmy ruching off her skirt before she realized what was happening .