eleven o'clock
`` Oh , Mr. Leroy , '' pouted one , `` we 've danced so hard , too ! '' `` Go to Mr. Vermont , then , '' was the indolent reply ; `` he 'll give you what you want , '' and with a rush they swept back on to the stage . `` Always Jasper , '' murmured Shelton sadly , as his friend , with a genial wave of the hand , picked his way past cardboard castles and paper trees , till he disappeared through the door that would lead him to his stage-box . At eleven o'clock the play was over ; the superbly-dressed women , with their escorts , were descending the wide staircase , laughing and discussing the piece , which seemed likely to become the success of the season . Outside , the pavement was filled with the gay , excited crowds . Whistles resounded for taxis hovering in the immediate vicinity , like steel-plated birds of prey . Carriages were being shouted for , and throughout all the bustle and excitement , a slight girlish form doggedly kept its vigil near the main entrance .