five o'clock
But , by way of compensation , I am not difficult to please . To a simple play , adjusted to my primitive taste , I can bring a certain bucolic appreciation that enables me to extract from the performance the maximum of enjoyment ; and when , on this occasion , the final curtain fell and the audience rose , I rescued my hat from its insecure resting-place and turned to go with the feeling that I had spent a highly agreeable afternoon . Emerging from the theatre , borne on the outgoing stream , I presently found myself opposite the door of a tea-shop . Instinct -- the five o'clock instinct this time -- guided me in ; for we are creatures of habit , especially of the tea habit . The unoccupied table to which I drifted was in a shady corner not very far from the pay-desk ; and here I had been seated less than a minute when a lady passed me on her way to the farther table . The glimpse that I caught of her as she approached -- it was but a glimpse , since she passed behind me -- showed that she was dressed in black , that she wore a beaded veil and hat , and in addition to the glass of milk and the bun that she carried , she was encumbered by an umbrella and a small basket , apparently containing some kind of needlework . I must confess that I gave her very little attention at the time , being occupied in anxious speculation as to how long it would be before the fact of my presence would impinge on the consciousness of the waitress .