twelve o'clock
Oh , listen , Arline ! The orchestra has begun that Strauss waltz I like so well . I 'm going to put these clumsy old andirons over in the corner ; then we 'll dance and forget that we are seniors and must pay the penalty . '' It was almost twelve o'clock when the Famous Fiction dance came to a triumphant end , and the illustrious book heroes and heroines wended their midnight way toward their various houses and boarding places . The Wayne Hall girls marched across the campus , Emma Dean parading ahead with outspread arms , her rags flapping about her , giving her the appearance of a scarecrow which had just emerged from a farmer 's cornfield . `` There it is ! There lies the mystery ! ''