midnight
At what time shall I come for the money in the morning ? Perhaps you could give me a little on account at once , for my wages are due tonight and I 'm not at all certain of getting them . '' `` Well , see me in the morning , '' said the banker . He got up and left us at once , hardly troubling to excuse himself ; and Grim heard him tell the hotel proprietor that our whole party would be locked up in jail before midnight . That rumour went the rounds like wild-fire , so that we were given a wide berth and had a table all to ourselves in the darkest corner of the big dim dining-room . There were more than a hundred people eating dinner , and Narayan Singh , Hadad and I were the only ones in western clothes . Every seat at the other tables was occupied by some Syrian dignitary in flowing robes -- rows and rows of stately looking notables , scant of speech and noisy at their food .