midnight
The old Boniface was jolly , but was in his physical and spiritual dotage , yet `` Nell , '' his second wife , was the life of the place , being immensely popular with the Oxford students , who circled about the `` Crown '' in midnight hours , with hilarious independence , that defied the raids of beadles , watchmen and armed constabulary . Those were gay and roystering days and nights when the greatest yeoman , tradesman , student , or lord , was the one who `` drank his comrade under the table '' and went away at sunrise like a lark , fluttering with dew from his downy wing , and soaring into the sky of beauty and action . It was Saturday night when we pulled up at the old tavern , and there seemed to be a great crowd of town people celebrating some local event . We soon found that the senior class of Oxonian students had conquered the senior class of Cambridge at a great game of inter-college football and the cheers and yells of Oxford bloods permeated the atmosphere until midnight . A round table spread in the tavern hall was loaded with food and liquors , while songs and speeches were given with a vim , all boasting of the prowess and patriotism of Oxford . A number of strolling players and boxers were introduced during the evening . A young lord named Bob Burleigh , was president of the club , while Mat Monmouth was the spokesman , who called on the various students and actors to entertain the town roysters who dropped in to see the free and easy celebration of the football victory .