about two o'clock
He had drawn him into a window and was discoursing to him on certain little Urbanese ' _ coppette amatorie _ ' which he had picked up at the Cavaliere Davila 's sale , and the rasping voice with its aggravating interrogative inflections , the gestures with which he indicated the dimensions of the cups , and his glance -- now dull and fishy , now keen as steel under the great prominent brow -- in short , the whole man was so unendurably obnoxious to Andrea that he clenched his teeth convulsively like a patient under the surgeon 's knife . His one absorbing thought was how to get away . His plan was to rush to the Pincio in the hope of finding Donna Maria and taking her , after all , to the Villa Medici . It was about two o'clock . He looked out of the window at the glorious sunshine ; he turned back into the room , and saw the group of pretty women at the piano , bathed in the red glow struck out of the velvet cover by a strong golden ray . With this red glow the smoke of the cigarette mingled lightly as the talking and laughter mingled with the chords Barbarella Viti struck haphazard on the keys . Ludovico whispered a word or two in his cousin 's ear , which the Princess forthwith communicated to her friends , for there was a renewed burst of laughter , ringing and deep , like a string of pearls dropping into a silver bowl .