midnight
`` Well , I am sorry you did n't make a fortune , my boy . But , rich or poor , your friends are delighted to see you , and we shall certainly keep you for dinner . I am interested in that Northwestern country myself , and I want to ask some questions about it . '' It was well on toward midnight when Emerson reached his hotel , and being too full of his visit with Mildred to sleep , he strolled through the lobby and into the Pompeian Room . The theatre crowds had not dispersed , and the place was a-glitter ; for it was the grand-opera season . The room was so well filled that he had difficulty in finding a seat , and he made his way slowly , meditating gloomily upon the fact that out of all this concourse in which he had once figured not a single familiar face greeted him . Finding no unoccupied table , he was about to retreat when he heard his name spoken and felt a vigorous slap upon the back .