midnight
But the fatal fascination of the game drew him on till all his winnings melted away , and he left the cabin at midnight without a penny in his pocket , so far as he knew . There was , however , a shilling which he had overlooked , and did not discover till he was already some distance away . He was tempted to return , and probably would have done so , had not his roving eyes discovered Obed and the two boys returning from their claim with the nugget . `` What are they up to , '' he asked himself in amazement , `` that keeps them out of bed till after midnight ? There 's something up . I wonder what it is . '' He had reason to be surprised .