one o'clock
The owner of the house was Madame Vollard , the widow of an officer . One of her principles was , that it was better to have her rooms empty than to let them out to people whose reputation was not of the best . She did not care much either for artists or actresses , but made some exceptions , and when Melosan , Jane Zild 's secretary , offered her a considerable sum for a room on the first floor , she immediately accepted . The bells of Notre-Dame struck one o'clock , when a carriage , which contained Jane and her companion , stopped in front of Madame Vollard 's house . In spite of the late hour , the landlady hurried to the street door to greet the young girl . When she saw the latter 's disordered toilet , she uttered a cry of horror . Jane had thrown off the cloak , and the burned dress with the withered and crushed roses could be seen .