Five minutes to twelve
Never before had there been such a gathering of all sorts and conditions of men on one spot of earth ; but as the hours went on and dwindled into minutes , all differences of rank and position became things of the past . In the presence of that awful Shape which was now flaming across the heavens , all men and women were equal , since by midnight all might be reduced at the same instant to the same dust and ashes . The ghastly orange-green glare shone down alike on the upturned face of monarch and statesman , soldier and peasant , millionaire and pauper , the good and the bad , the noble and the base , and tinged every face with its own ghastly hue . Five minutes to twelve ! There was a shaking of hands , but no words were spoken . Norah Castellan stooped and kissed her wounded lover 's brow , and then stood up and clasped her hands behind her . Lennard went to one of the tables and Auriole to the other .