the time to cross a muddy road.
But for five minutes she was determined to hold any man's complete attention, and to exact his admiration.

And she nearly always succeeded.
Therefore the women hated her.

The men were amused.

It is extremely pleasant to have one's admiration compelled, one's attention so determinedly sought after.
And Candeille could be extremely amusing, and as Madelon in Moliere's "Les Precieuses" was quite inimitable.
This, however, was in the olden days, just before Paris went quite mad, before the Reign of Terror had set in, and ci-devant Louis the King had been executed.
Candeille had taken it into her frolicsome little head that she would like to go to London.

The idea was of course in the nature of an experiment.