4 a.m.
Owe no man anything ! They were that gentleman 's definition of a gentleman -- a definition which was cordially approved by every other gentleman who , like Mr. Eames junior , happened to hold analogous views . Gentlemen being rather scarce nowadays , we can not but feel grateful to the Crotalophoboi for devouring Saint Dodekanus and paving the way , VIA the ANTIQUITIES of Monsignor Perrelli , for the refined personality of Mr. Eames -- even if such was not their original intention . Next morning , at precisely 4 a.m. , there was an earthquake . Foreigners unaccustomed to Nepenthean conditions rushed in their pyjamas out of doors , to escape the falling wreckage . An American lady , staying at Mr. Muhlen 's high-class hotel , jumped from her bed-room on the third floor into the courtyard below , and narrowly escaped bruising her ankle . It was a false alarm .