midnight
Do n't lose sight of that important fact , my dear boy . '' They talked on for half an hour or more ; then suddenly the driver drew rein . `` This is the country tavern , and my horses can not go any further ; they are dead lame and played out , '' he announced . It was certainly something entirely out of the experience of the old innkeeper at the country crossroads to be aroused from his slumbers at midnight by guests seeking the shelter of his hospitable roof , and that , too , on the most terrible night of the year . The old man could scarcely believe his ears when he heard the sound of the old brass knocker on the front door resound loudly through the house . He quite imagined that he must have dreamed it , until a second and third peal brought him to his senses and his feet at the same instant . His bewilderment knew no bounds when he appeared at the door a few minutes later and found a coach standing there and the occupants seeking a lodging , also shelter for the horses .