ten o'clock
Coursegol reached Vernon that evening , spent the night at an inn , and the next morning at sunrise , repaired to the duke 's château . That good old man had long been in the habit of receiving all who desired to speak with him , so it was easy for Coursegol to obtain an interview . He was ushered into a hall where several persons were already waiting , and through which the duke was obliged to pass on his way to attend morning services in the chapel . At ten o'clock , the duke appeared . Coursegol , who had not seen him for several years , found him greatly changed . But the face surrounded by white floating locks had not lost the benign expression which had always characterized it ; and he displayed the same simplicity of manner that had always endeared him to the poor and humble . When he entered the hall , the people who had been waiting for him , advanced to meet him .