midnight
A ray of the truth that underlay Cashel 's grotesque experiment was flickering in her mind as she asked herself that question . She thought a good deal about it ; and one afternoon , when she looked in at four at-homes in succession , she studied the behavior of the other guests from a new point of view , comparing the most mannered with the best mannered , and her recent self with both . The result half convinced her that she had been occupied during her first London season in displaying , at great pains , a very unripe self-consciousness -- or , as she phrased it , in making an insufferable fool of herself . Shortly afterwards , she met Lucian at a cinderella , or dancing-party concluding at midnight . He came at eleven , and , as usual , gravely asked whether he might have the pleasure of dancing with her . This form of address he never varied . To his surprise , she made some difficulty about granting the favor , and eventually offered him `` the second extra . ''