midnight
Tommy had none too much to eat , and , according to her own æsthetic ambitions , nothing at all to wear ; but she was busy all day long and absurdly happy . Her income was uncertain , but that was amusing and thrilling rather than pitiful or tragic . She had two or three `` steadies '' among singers , who gave her engagements as accompanist at small drawing-room recitals or charitable entertainments . There was a stout prima donna whose arias for dramatic soprano kept her practicing until midnight , and a rich young lady amateur who needed a very friendly and careful accompaniment because she sang flat and always lost her breath before the end of a long phrase . The manner in which Tommy concealed these defects was thoroughly ingenious and sympathetic . When Miss Guggenheim paused for breath , Tommy filled the gap with instrumental arabesques ; when she was about to flat , Tommy gave her the note suggestively . If she was too dreadfully below pitch , and had breath enough to hang on to the note so long that the audience -LRB- always composed of invited guests -RRB- writhed obviously , Tommy would sometimes drop a sheet of music on the floor and create a diversion , always apologizing profusely for her clumsiness .