midnight
Every individual taste , every natural appetite , was bridled by caution . The people asleep in those houses , I thought , tried to live like the mice in their own kitchens ; to make no noise , to leave no trace , to slip over the surface of things in the dark . The growing piles of ashes and cinders in the back yards were the only evidence that the wasteful , consuming process of life went on at all . On Tuesday nights the Owl Club danced ; then there was a little stir in the streets , and here and there one could see a lighted window until midnight . But the next night all was dark again . After I refused to join `` the Owls , '' as they were called , I made a bold resolve to go to the Saturday night dances at Firemen 's Hall . I knew it would be useless to acquaint my elders with any such plan .