eleven at night
With much swaying of the hips they strolled delicately along , slackening their pace when they crossed the bright light thrown from one of the great cafes . With shoulders thrown back , shrill and noisy laughter and many backward glances at the men who turned to look at them , they marched about and were completely in their element . In the shadow of night their artificially whitened faces , their rouged lips and their darkened eyelids became as charming and suggestive as if the inmates of a make-believe trumpery oriental bazaar had been sent forth into the open street . Till eleven at night they sauntered gaily along among the rudely jostling crowds , contenting themselves with an occasional `` dirty ass ! '' hurled after the clumsy people whose boot heels had torn a flounce or two from their dresses . Little familiar salutations would pass between them and the cafe waiters , and at times they would stop and chat in front of a small table and accept of drinks , which they consumed with much deliberation , as became people not sorry to sit down for a bit while waiting for the theaters to empty . But as night advanced , if they had not made one or two trips in the direction of the Rue la Rochefoucauld , they became abject strumpets , and their hunt for men grew more ferocious than ever .