About midnight
I remember perfectly well , that the taste of this strange fruit was by no means so pleasant as the appearance ; but the idea of eating fruit was sufficient for a child , and , after all , the flavour was much superior to that of sour apples , so I ate voraciously . How long I continued eating I scarcely know . One thing is certain , that I never left the field as I entered it , being carried home in the arms of the dragoon in strong convulsions , in which I continued for several hours . About midnight I awoke , as if from a troubled sleep , and beheld my parents bending over my couch , whilst the regimental surgeon , with a candle in his hand , stood nigh , the light feebly reflected on the whitewashed walls of the barrack-room . Another circumstance connected with my infancy , and I have done . I need offer no apology for relating it , as it subsequently exercised considerable influence over my pursuits . We were , if I remember right , in the vicinity of a place called Hythe , in Kent .