two in the morning
The worst of the matter was that I suppose for the reason that man is an imitative animal , a sort of _ πιθηκος μυωρος _ , or Monboddian monkey minus the tail -- my two companions were , somehow , always sure to join the wretch in his evil behavior , and to go on just as bad as he did . No wonder , then , that we got into no end of rows , and it is a marvel to me now , how ever we have managed to get off with a whole skin to our bodies . `` He would insist upon taking us to Mabille , the Closerie des Lilas , and the Châteaurouge , where he would indulge in the maddest pranks and antics , and somehow lead us to join in the wildest dances , and make us lift our legs as high as the highest lifter among the _ habitués _ , male or female . `` One night , at about half-past two in the morning -LRB- _ Hibernicè _ -RRB- , he had the cool assurance to drag us along with him to the then closed entrance to the Passage des Princes , where he frantically shook the gate , and insisted to the frightened concierge , who came running up in his night-shirt , that Peter 's must and ought to be open still , as _ we _ had not had our supper yet ; and Topp and Jack Hobson , forsooth , must join in the row . I have no distinct recollection of whether it was our phantom guest or either of my companions that madly strove to detain the hastily retreating form of the concierge by a desperate clutch at the tail of his shirt ; I only remember that the garment gave way in the struggle , and that the unhappy functionary was reduced nearly altogether to the primitive buff costume of the father of man in Paradise ere he had put his teeth into that unlucky apple of which , the pips keep so inconveniently sticking in poor humanity 's gizzard to the present day . And what I remember also to my cost is , that the sergent-de-ville , whom the bereaved man 's shouts of distress brought to the scene , fastened upon _ me _ , the most inoffensive of mortals , for a compensation fine of twenty francs , as if _ I _ had been the culprit . And deuced glad we were , I assure you , to get off without more serious damage to our pocket and reputation than this , and a copious volley of _ sacrés ivrognes Anglais _ , fired at us by the wretched concierge and his friend of the police , who , I am quite sure , went halves with him in the compensation .