nine o'clock
Not for this , however , would I let him remain in his unenviable position . It did not take me long to resolve that , to be honourable , I must myself bear the consequences of my own folly ; and in a very short time afterward I was interviewing the Commandante . That official , in whose favour I had long since made it my business to firmly establish myself , informed me that it was then too late at night to take any evidence , or , in fact , to move at all in the matter ; but that he would attend to me at eight o'clock next morning . The following day at the appointed hour I waited on him , told him I was the real culprit , secured the colonel 's release , paid a fine of a few dollars , and by nine o'clock was back again in my hotel ; and when I sat down with the Colonel that night to a special _ cena _ to which I had invited him -- intending in some measure to prove to him my gratitude for his generosity and esteem -- I made a rather boyish speech in which I regretted tremendously the Colonel 's having passed an exceedingly uncomfortable night in prison on my account , and my inability to release him the night before . Moyal , to my intense surprise , replied that he had to _ thank me _ for the opportunity I had given him . `` Of course , '' said he , `` I should not like to see you in trouble , and would have done anything in my power to keep you out of it , but I must admit that my motive was not the generous one that has been attributed to me . It was a rather selfish motive , you see , between you and me .