midnight
He had the gift of making men feel that he delighted in their society , that he wished for nothing better than to sit for hours in their company , content to listen to the arguments that raged about him . Once in a while he would make a droll observation that was greeted with fits of laughter . He was always referred to as `` old Tom , '' or `` good old Tom '' ; presently , when he began to pick out chords on the banjo , it was discovered that he had a good tenor voice , though he could not always be induced to sing ... . Somewhat to the jeopardy of the academic standard that my father expected me to sustain , our rooms became a rendezvous for many clubable souls whose maudlin , midnight attempts at harmony often set the cocks crowing . `` Free from care and despair , What care we ? 'T is wine , 't is wine That makes the jollity . '' As a matter of truth , on these occasions it was more often beer ; beer transported thither in Tom 's new valise , -- given him by his mother , -- and stuffed with snow to keep the bottles cold .