twelve o'clock at night
In regard to other matters , they who worked under the Committee were busy enough . The dinner to the Emperor was turned into ridicule , and the electors were asked whether they felt themselves bound to return a gentleman out of the City to Parliament because he had offered to spend a fortune on entertaining all the royalties then assembled in London . There was very much said on placards and published in newspapers to the discredit of Melmotte , but nothing was so printed which would not have appeared with equal venom had the recent rumours never been sent out from the City . At twelve o'clock at night , when Mr. Alf 's committee-room was being closed , and when Melmotte was walking home to bed , the general opinion at the clubs was very much in favour of Mr. Alf . On the next morning Melmotte was up before eight . As yet no policeman had called for him , nor had any official intimation reached him that an accusation was to be brought against him . On coming down from his bedroom he at once went into the back-parlour on the ground floor , which Mr. Longestaffe called his study , and which Mr. Melmotte had used since he had been in Mr. Longestaffe 's house for the work which he did at home .