midnight
Captain Evans speaking . Full speed ahead ! '' * * * * * On the dance floor late that night , a crooner in blue Venusian mask and wig hummed the melody while the orchestra wailed and zinged behind him . The lights had been dimmed to a purple midnight , and shadowy couples flitted about the room , swaying , humming , laughing . Horned devils danced with angels , pirates and Roman senators guided in their arms lovely Cleopatras and sinuous mermaids . Hunched over the little tables , clinking glasses , grotesque silhouettes of Martians , Venusians , and Apollonians whispered intimately . The walls of the room displayed the evening stars of late summer , and , special event for a gala evening , a fat yellow half moon sailed lazily in the sky .