twelve o'clock
Good night , Mr. Dale . I 'm not going back just now . '' The curate shook his head protestingly . `` Do you know it is twelve o'clock , Alban ? '' `` Just the time the fun begins -- in the world -- over there , sir . '' He looked up at the Western sky aglow with that crimson haze which stands for the zenith of London 's night . The Reverend `` Jimmy '' Dale had abandoned long ago the idea of understanding Alban Kennedy .