four o'clock in the morning
The quartette returned thanks in some embarrassment , having been dissolved for about a month . It came out , however , from certain dark hints given by the first bass , that Specht had been unreasonable in his demands upon them . He had wished to make use of the quartette to serenade the charming Zillibi , the _ prima donna _ of the circus ; and when the basses declined , Specht had flown into a violent passion , and sworn he would never sing with them till they consented . `` If he had been content to serenade her in the evening , '' said Balbus , `` we might , perhaps , have given in for the sake of peace , but he maintained that it must be at four o'clock in the morning , as it was then that the riding-master rose to feed his horses . That was too much . Meanwhile the lady ran off with a Bajazzo . '' `` That is not true , '' cried Specht ; `` the Bajazzo carried her off by force . ''