Eight o'clock
Mind , you are warned ! ' At this moment the carriage stopped before a modern house , built between two massive Irish towers entirely covered with huge ivy . ` I am afraid we are a little late , ' said Mrs. Barton to the servant , as he relieved them of their _ sorties de bal _ . ` Eight o'clock has just struck , ma'am . ' ` The two old things will make faces at us , I know , ' murmured Mrs. Barton , as she ascended the steps . On either side there were cases of stuffed birds ; a fox lay in wait for a pheasant on the right ; an otter devoured a trout on the left . These attested the sporting tastes of a former generation .