midnight
Colonel Philibert went boldly in . A blaze of light almost dazzled his eyes . The Château was lit up with lamps and candelabra in every part . The bright rays of the sun beat in vain for admittance upon the closed doors and blinded windows , but the splendor of midnight oil pervaded the interior of the stately mansion , making an artificial night that prolonged the wild orgies of the Intendant into the hours of day . The Château of Beaumanoir had , since the advent of the Intendant Bigot , been the scene of many a festive revelry that matched , in bacchanalian frenzy , the wild orgies of the Regency and the present debaucheries of Croisy and the petits appartements of Versailles . Its splendor , its luxury , its riotous feasts lasting without intermission sometimes for days , were the themes of wonder and disgust to the unsophisticated people of New France , and of endless comparison between the extravagance of the Royal Intendant and the simple manners and inflexible morals of the Governor-General . The great hall of the Château , the scene of the gorgeous feasts of the Intendant , was brilliantly illuminated with silver lamps , glowing like globes of sunlight as they hung from the lofty ceiling , upon which was painted a fresco of the apotheosis of Louis XIV. , where the Grand Monarque was surrounded by a cloud of Condés , Orléanois , and Bourbons , of near and more remote consanguinity .