two in the
morning
The appearance of Rush , Fort , Howard , and Webster upon this occasion was pitiable . On her evening , if she tired of her admirers before they could reasonably be expected to leave , she walked out of the room without excuse and went to bed . She not only ran to fires when the humour seized her , but she commanded her quartette to rush every time the alarm sounded , that they might be at her beck in the event of officious policemen . As fires are frequent in San Francisco , these enamoured young men were profoundly thankful when they occurred at such times as they happened to be in their tyrant 's presence : they were willing to bundle into their clothes at two in the morning , or to leave their duties at midday , were they sure of meeting her ; but as she was as capricious about fires as about everything else , their chances were as one in ten . They hinted once that she might advise them of her pleasure by telephone , but were peremptorily snubbed . Helena never made concessions . It was at the end of the second month that her father imported a coach from New York .