twelve o'clock
To these continual importunities Rose replied in tones of surprise , regret , or chagrin , as the individual case demanded , without again troubling her employer . The index completed , she filed papers , smoothed her yellow hair at the wash stand , exchanged fraternal signals with a girl friend in the office opposite , and read the `` Courier 's '' report of the senatorial struggle with complete understanding of its intricacies . `` Rose ! '' It was twelve o'clock when Harwood called her . He had brushed aside the mass of documents she had noted on her arrival , and a single letter sheet lay before him . Without glancing up he bade her sit down . She had brought her notebook prepared to take dictation .