midnight
English , French , Maltese , Italians and Spanish sailors sat round the heavy oak tables ; girls in curious dresses , whose painted cheeks showed plainly the traces of debauchery , thronged around a female card conjurer , who in a corner was performing her black art , while a woman with a harp was waiting with her old instrument till called upon to play or sing before the company . Here and there sat groups of men and women on whose foreheads vice was plainly written , and according as the dice rolled and the cards dropped , there could be heard curses and imprecations , as well as shouts of joy . The atmosphere was impregnated with the filthy oil of the dimly lighted lamps , the odor of alcoholic drinks , and the poisonous smell of tobacco . It was almost midnight when a new-comer entered . The man wore a short jacket , a red girdle held the dark trousers around the waist , and a broad-brimmed oilcloth hat sat at an angle upon a head full of rich red-blond hair . The beard of the man was red and thick , while his form showed that he was possessed of great muscular power . It was plain that the stranger was an English sailor , and the sharp accent with which he gave his orders to the morose landlord , of whom he demanded a mixture of rum and cordial , testified to this supposition .