four
o'clock
The slumber of the Duchess was the signal for a general move . Her somnolence was catching . The restorative effects of the meal were beginning to wear off . There was a call for a chorus rehearsal at four o'clock , and it seemed the wise move to go to bed and get some sleep while there was time . The Duchess was roused from her dreams by means of a piece of ice from one of the tumblers ; bills were paid ; and the company poured out , yawning and chattering , into the sunlight of the empty boardwalk . Jill detached herself from the group , and made her way to a seat facing the sea . Tiredness had fallen upon her like a leaden weight , crushing all the power out of her limbs , and the thought of walking to the boarding-house where , from motives of economy , she was sharing a room with the Cherub , paralysed her .