midnight
And Jimmy , transported with delight , made a vast pretense of business and hastened away , lest she change her mind . He had the wisdom to let well enough alone , and knew that time is the best medicine for annoyance . But he was there in MacDougall Alley , -- just the same -- with marvelous punctuality . And there can be no question that he was a master host when it came to luncheons , dinners , suppers , or midnight lunch counters . With him it was an art , cultivated to the highest point of efficiency . Moreover , timorous and fearful lest he blunderingly lose his advantages , he did not press his suit too far and , as a result , Mary Allen forgot his seeming neglect . There was but one embarrassing moment when , after a moment 's silence she said , `` Do tell me , is there anything at all new down home ?