midnight
The girls , their arms held high , beat the marble floor with their little feet , whirling their skirts and _ mantillas _ around their slender bodies , moving with the rhythm characteristic of the _ Sevillanas _ . Bottles of rich Andalusian wines were uncorked by the dozen ; from hand to hand passed cups of ardent sherry , of strong _ montilla _ , and of the wine of San Lúcar , pale and perfumed . Every one was drunk but their intoxication left them sweet , subdued , and sad , with no other manifestation than sighs and songs , many starting at once to intone melancholy chants that told of prisons , of deaths , and of the poor mother , the eternal theme of the popular songs of Andalusia . The last guests took their leave at midnight and the bride and groom were left in the house with Señora Angustias . The leather-worker , going out with his wife , made a gesture of desperation . He was drunk and furious because no one had paid him any attention during the entire day . As if he were nobody !