three o'clock
It was said that spiritualism entered into its affairs . Frank had been working on the story , which promised a sensation . As he neared the corner of California and Montgomery streets , where the crumbled bank walls had been transformed into a temporary habitation , he saw a crowd evidently pressing toward it . The bank doors were closed , though it was not yet three o'clock . Now and then people broke from the throng and wandered disconsolately away . One of these , a gray-haired woman , came in Frank 's direction . He asked her what was wrong .