twelve o'clock
Cleo was as full of vitality as ever . Perhaps it was that , as she entered the theatre , the sight of her trunk , waiting in the corridor for redemption , stimulated her masterfulness afresh , for she found pretext for asserting her authority over everybody on the premises . Up to the last moment she revelled in the enjoyment of all the powers and privileges that one acquires over other human beings by engaging to pay them a wage . As the time went by and Morgan saw no sign of the appearance of the requisite cash , he ventured at last to broach the subject to her , and she replied firmly and clearly : `` At twelve o'clock the salaries shall be paid . '' But at the time specified , Cleo , who was sitting with him in her private room , hid her face in her hands and began to sob hysterically . Then he was able to elicit the truth . She had passed the last afternoon interviewing moneylenders , but they had all laughed in her face -- which had simply called forth her contempt for them .