midnight
And so he discovered his vice ; he discovered that he had in him the soul of the gambler ! And all the rest of the winter he had to wrestle with that shame . He would go to his dinner , tired and heartsick ; and they would ask him to play again ; and he -- the man who carried a message for humanity in his heart -- he would yield ! Three times during that winter he fell into the mire ; on Washington 's birthday he began to play in the morning , and stopping only for meals , he played until long after midnight . Forever afterwards he was a humbler and a gentler man because of that experience ; understanding how squalor abases one , and how swiftly and stealthily an evil passion closes its grasp about the soul . Section 2 . Of this shameful thing he said not a word to Corydon .