eight o'clock
It looked as though the boys had been delayed . The girls were in despair . Here they had planned a wonderful surprise party for the boys , and their guests of honor were not going to be present . The young people from the nearby country houses had been invited to the dance , to begin at eight o'clock that evening , so it was quite impossible to put it off . At half-past eight the old Virginia homestead , where belles and beaux had made merry many long years before , was gay with the voices of the invited guests . But the dancing had not yet begun . Each time the old door-bell rang the four girls hoped it meant the return of the four boys .