midnight
Between the lines he read that the Englishman considered it unwise to attempt further communication in Calcutta . Something had happened to eliminate the trip to Darjeeling . Labertouche would undoubtedly contrive to meet and enlighten him , either on the way or in Benares itself . In the long , tiresome , eventless journey that followed his faith was sorely tried ; nor was it justified until the train paused some time after midnight at Mogul Serai . There , before Amber and Doggott could alight to change for Benares , their compartment was invaded by an unmistakable loafer , very drunk . Tall and burly ; with red-rimmed eyes in a pasty pockmarked face , dirty and rusty with a week-old growth of beard ; clothed with sublime contempt for the mode and exalted beyond reason with liquor -- a typical loafer of the Indian railways -- he flung the door open and himself into Amber 's arms , almost knocking the latter down ; and resented the accident at the top of his lungs . `` You miserable , misbegotten blighter of a wall-eyed American -- '' At this point he became unprintably profane , and Doggott fell upon him with the laudable intention of throwing him out .