midnight
As for Betteredge , consistency of principle and dignity of conduct had become , in his case , mere empty words . He forgot that I was performing a conjuring trick on Mr. Franklin Blake ; he forgot that I had upset the house from top to bottom ; he forgot that I had not read _ Robinson Crusoe _ since I was a child . `` For the Lord 's sake , sir , '' he whispered to me , `` tell us when it will begin to work . '' `` Not before midnight , '' I whispered back . `` Say nothing , and sit still . '' Betteredge dropped to the lowest depth of familiarity with me , without a struggle to save himself . He answered by a wink !