midnight
Whoever it was had proved himself the better man . In spite of himself the bandit , in thought , formulated one word : Fantômas ! When Sonia Danidoff entered Thomery 's ball-room she made a sensation . It was not far off midnight when she appeared in all her brilliant beauty and dazzling array , leaning on the arm of her host and fiancé , who bore his honours proudly . Dancers paused to admire this handsome couple ; then the Hungarian band redoubled their efforts , and the whirling , eddying waltz started afresh , more gay , more inspiriting than before . In a corner opposite the musicians a group of persons were in animated talk : among them Sonia Danidoff , Thomery , and Jérôme Fandor . Music was their theme , some admired Wagner and the classics , others voted for the moderns , for the sugariest of waltzes , for the romantic , the bizarre .