ten o'clock
The statesman who has already loomed darkly in these pages as the Tallest Delegate was taller than ever in a dress coat , but in all ways a citizen of whom Vermillion County had reason to be proud . John Ware and Admiral Martin , finding themselves uncomfortable in the crowd , rescued Thatcher and adjourned with him to a room set apart for smokers . There they were regarded with mild condescension by young gentlemen who rushed in from the dance , mopping their brows and inhaling cigarettes for a moment , wearing the melancholy air becoming to those who support the pillars of society . At ten o'clock the receiving line had dissolved and the dance was in full swing above . Sylvia had volunteered to act as Mrs. Owen 's adjutant , and she was up and down stairs many times looking after countless details . She had just dispatched Allen to find partners for some out-of-town girls when Morton Bassett accosted her in the hall . `` I 'm thirsty , Miss Garrison ; which punch bowl do you recommend to a man of my temperate habits ? ''