midnight
I have much more serious business on hand than making love to Madame d'Aranjuez . '' The more he reflected upon the situation , the more angry he grew , and when he reached the door of the club he was in a humour to quarrel with everything and everybody . Fortunately , at that early hour , the place was in the sole possession of half a dozen old gentlemen whose conversation diverted his thoughts though it was the very reverse of edifying . Between the stories they told and the considerable number of cigarettes he smoked while listening to them he was almost restored to his normal frame of mind by midnight , when four or five of his usual companions straggled in and proposed baccarat . After his recent successes he could not well refuse to play , so he sat down rather reluctantly with the rest . Oddly enough he did not lose , though he won but little . `` Lucky at play , unlucky in love , '' laughed one of the men carelessly .