midnight
Polly had found her heart not a very lofty one , not a very sensitive one -- but an honest and kind heart in the main , which was permitted to extricate itself from the slough of luxury and self-indulgence , and beat warmly and faithfully throughout the rest of its course . ON THE STAGE AND OFF THE STAGE . The Place was old Bath , in the days immediately succeeding those of Alexander Pope and William Hogarth , and dovetailing into those of Horace Walpole and the Wesleys . The Age was one of rackets and reaction from morning till night , and Bath was the head-quarters of the first -- the scene of the pump-room , the raffle , the public breakfast , the junketing at mid-day , the ball at midnight , the play , the ridotto . The Scene was a private room in the `` Bear , '' when it was crowded with peers , bullies , rooks , highwaymen , leaders of fashion , waiting-women , and stage stars . The `` Bear '' was held by great Mrs. Price , a hostess large , shining , portly -- a friendly great woman , too magnificent to be fussy , or mean , or spiteful . The `` Bear '' looked out on the Parade , with its throngs of beaux -- veritable beaux , with Beau Nash at their head -- wigged , caned , and snuff-boxed , and belles with trains borne by black boys , cambric caps and aprons , and abundance of velvet patches .