two o'clock in the morning
Distinguished guests we have had beneath the roof of St. Cuthbert 's manse . We once had Major Pond , the great cicerone of great lecturers ; he had brought Ian Maclaren to our town , who in turn brought the spring to all of us , beguiling moisture even from long-sullen clouds . He had stayed with Mr. Blake , which was but fair , for these are wealth 's real prerogatives ; but the genial Major stayed with us . We were greatly charmed , for he charmed us till two o'clock in the morning ; and my wife , fearful that she might stampede him to his bed , rose at intervals and hid her face in the geranium window when she had to yawn . But it was the clock and not the Major that provoked these mild convulsions . He rehearsed to us his glorious achievements with his `` stars . '' Some few plaints he had , wherein he `` wept o'er his wounds , '' but almost all his tales were `` tales of valour done . ''