midnight
`` If you ca n't control yourself , '' he whispered , `` you had better leave us . '' He spoke with the authority of an old friend . I had sense enough left to take his advice , and return to my post at the gallery door . A little before midnight the performance ended . The audience began to pour out of the theater . I drew back into a corner behind the door , facing the gallery stairs , and watched for her . After an interval which seemed to be endless , she and her companion appeared , slowly descending the stairs .