midnight
Sometimes she shed tears and threatened him , but he would pin her up against the wall and talk of strangling her , which had the effect of rendering her extremely obedient . As often as not , she sank down on a chair and sobbed for five minutes on end . But afterward she would forget all about it , grow very merry , fill the little lodgings with the sound of song and laughter and the rapid rustle of skirts . The worst of it was that Fontan was now in the habit of disappearing for the whole day and never returning home before midnight , for he was going to cafes and meeting his old friends again . Nana bore with everything . She was tremulous and caressing , her only fear being that she might never see him again if she reproached him . But on certain days , when she had neither Mme Maloir nor her aunt and Louiset with her , she grew mortally dull .