midnight
But this was not all . In a far corner sat Miss Munch and her cousin , Mrs. Richards , their ferret eyes darting busily about and their tongues clicking even more rapidly . Doubtless Flint had invested in a number of tickets at the office for business reasons and passed them around for any of the office force who felt a desire to see society at close range . Claire had not meant to stay beyond one or two numbers following her own appearance , but she kept yielding to Mrs. Condor 's insistent suggestions that she `` stay for just one more , '' until she discovered , to her dismay , that it was past midnight . The last artists were taking their places upon the stage . Claire resigned herself to the inevitable and sat out the remainder of the performance . She was making a quick exit into the dressing-room when she came face to face with her aunt .