midnight before
He crept away into the darkest corner , and stretched himself on the thin straw which covered the damp and dirty floor , but he could not fall asleep . There was a good deal of quarreling among the boys , and the men who wished to sleep swore long and loudly at them . Then there followed a fight , which grew so exciting at last that every person in the place , except Tony , gathered about the boys in a ring , encouraging and cheering them . It was long after midnight before silence and rest came , and then he fell into a broken slumber , dreaming of Dolly and old Oliver , until he awoke and found his face wet with tears . He got up before any of his bed-fellows were aroused , and made his way out into the fresh keen air of a December morning . Day after day went by , and night after night Tony was growing more indifferent again to the swearing and fighting of his old comrades . He began to listen with delight to the tales of Clever Dog Tom , who told him that hands like his would work well in his line , and his innocent-looking face would go a long way towards softening any judge and jury , or would bring him favour with the chaplain , and easy times in gaol .