two in
the morning
So many of their sons had seen Helen shake her head in that inarticulate , worried way , and look so sorry for them , that any strange young man who apparently succeeded where those who had been her friends for years had learned they must remain friends , could not hope to escape criticism . Besides , they did not know him : he did not come from Boston and Harvard , but from a Western city . They were told that at home , at both the law and the game of politics , he worked hard and successfully ; but it was rather held against him by the youth of Fair Harbor that he played at there games , not so much for the sake of the game as for exercise . He put aside many things , such as whiskey and soda at two in the morning , and bridge all afternoon , with the remark : `` I find it does not tend toward efficiency . '' It was a remark that irritated and , to the minds of the men at the country clubs , seemed to place him . They liked to play polo because they liked to play polo , not because it kept their muscles limber and their brains clear . `` Some Western people were telling me , '' said one of the matrons , `` that he wants to be the next lieutenant-governor .