three in the afternoon
The phantasmagoria at North End Hall was a regrettable , but necessary , interruption of her more important activities . The interruption did n't interfere so seriously as at first she thought it would . The routine of rehearsal as Galbraith developed it , began with special scenes -- isolated bits that needed modification or polishing . The general rehearsals , taking this act or that and going through with it from beginning to end , and involving , of course , the presence of everybody in the company , did n't , as a rule , begin till three in the afternoon ; sometimes till as late as five . Of course when they did begin , they lasted until all hours . But the labors of the chorus , and even of the sextette , shrank very much in proportion to the work of the principals . Nearly all the changes that were made were in the direction of compressing the chorus and giving the principals more room .