ten at night
And at these moments , when contradictions rained like hail , the well-known irritability of the secretary of the Gun Club constituted a permanent danger for the Honorable Belfast . The existence of these two together would soon have become impossible ; but an unforseen event cut short their everlasting discussions . During the night , from the 14th to the 15th of December , the two irreconcilable friends were busy observing the lunar disc , J. T. Maston abusing the learned Belfast as usual , who was by his side ; the secretary of the Gun Club maintaining for the thousandth time that he had just seen the projectile , and adding that he could see Michel Ardan 's face looking through one of the scuttles , at the same time enforcing his argument by a series of gestures which his formidable hook rendered very unpleasant . At this moment Belfast 's servant appeared on the platform -LRB- it was ten at night -RRB- and gave him a dispatch . It was the commander of the Susquehanna 's telegram . Belfast tore the envelope and read , and uttered a cry . `` What ! ''