"Who's that soldier boob ?" Lane could not catch the low reply.

He lingered there a while longer, and then returned to the hall, much surprised to find it so dark he could scarcely distinguish the dancers.

The lights had been lowered.
If the dance had been violent and strange before this procedure, it was now a riot.

In the semi-darkness the dancers cut loose.

The paper strings had been loosened and had fallen down to become tangled with the flying feet and legs.