Midnight
snapped Miss Fink , `` or I 'll call the steward to settle you . Maybe he 'd be interested to know that you 've been counting in the date and your waiter 's number , and adding 'em in at the bottom of your check . '' Tony , the Crook , turned and skimmed away toward the dining-room , but the taste of victory was bitter in Miss Fink 's mouth . Midnight struck . There came from the direction of the Pink Fountain Room a clamor and din which penetrated the thickness of the padded doors that separated the dining-room from the kitchen beyond . The sound rose and swelled above the blare of the orchestra . Chairs scraped on the marble floor as hundreds rose to their feet .