midnight
What she thought of him , Ursula did not ask herself ; that he should think _ like this _ of her was the bewildering , extraordinary , ridiculous fact that at present filled her girlish head . But if they were sweet to Northcote , these evenings were the crown of Clarence Copperhead 's content and conscious success ; he was supremely happy , caressing his fiddle between his cheek and his shoulder , and raising his pale eyes to the ceiling in an ecstasy . The music , and the audience , and the accompanyist all together were delightful to him . He could have gone on he felt not only till midnight , but till morning , and so on to midnight again , with short intervals for refreshment . Every ten minutes or so there occurred a break in the continuity of the strain , and a little dialogue between the performers . `` Ah , yes , I have missed a line ; never mind ; go on , Miss Phoebe , I will make up to you , '' he said . `` It is those accidentals that have been your ruin , '' said Phoebe laughing ; `` it is a very hard passage , let us turn back and begin again , '' and then the audience would laugh , not very sweetly , and -LRB- some of them -RRB- make acrid observations ; but the pianist was good-nature itself , and went back and counted and kept time with her head , and with her hand when she could take it from the piano , until she had triumphantly tided him over the bad passage , or they had come to the point of shipwreck again .