twelve
o'clock at night
The Gray Friars School is the Charterhouse where Thackeray was at school . In 1859 Thackeray started the `` Cornhill Magazine , '' and on December 23 , 1863 , he died at Kensington . Besides his five great novels , a large number of shorter stories and sketches came from Thackeray 's pen . _ I. -- The `` Cave of Harmony '' _ It was in the days of my youth , when , having been to the play with some young fellows of my own age , we became naturally hungry at twelve o'clock at night , and a desire for welsh-rarebits and good old glee singing led us to the `` Cave of Harmony , '' then kept by the celebrated Hoskins , among whose friends we were proud to count . It happened that there was a very small attendance at the `` cave '' that night , and we were all more sociable and friendly because the company was select . The songs were chiefly of the sentimental class ; such ditties were much in vogue at the time of which I speak . There came into the `` cave '' a gentleman with a lean brown face and long black mustachios , and evidently a stranger to the place .