two
in the morning
The horses tore round the ring at full gallop ; she jumped over gates and through hoops , and ended her performance by leaping off one of the horses which was caught by a groom , and flinging herself on to the other , face to the tail , for a final reckless canter round the arena . The brilliance and nerve with which she carried through the trick , roused the enthusiasm it deserved , and Arithelli passed out panting and triumphant to the accompaniment of music and cheers , and showered roses and carnations . The part of her work that she most abhorred was the eight o'clock compulsory visit to the stables . A circus life is not prone to encourage the virtue of early rising , and she was by nature indolent in a panther-like fashion , and was never in bed till half-past one or two in the morning . If she had known a little more she could have protested on the grounds that her position of leading lady did not involve the feeding of her animals . She did it as she had done other things without complaint , and presently Emile came to the rescue . He knew as much about the habits and requirements of horses as he knew about shop-keeping , being entirely ignorant of both .