about nine in the evening
sung out Steady , ` I see , I see ' -- Finally the affair was cleared up , a little hush-money made him snug , and Charley having got back his instrument , bore no malice , so he and Steady resumed their former friendly footing -- the `` statu quo ante bellum . '' Another story and I have done . About a week after this , several of the same party again met at dinner , when my excellent friend Mr Nicodemus amused us exceedingly by the following story , which , for want of a better title , I shall relate under the head of : A Slippery Youth `` We all know , '' quoth old Nic , `` that house robberies have been very rife of late , and on peril even of having the laugh against me , I will tell you how I suffered , no longer than three nights ago ; so , Tom Cringle , will you and Bang have the charity to hold your tongues , and be instructed ? `` Old Gelid , Longtram , Steady , and myself , had been eating ratoons , at the Fortner 's domicile , and it was about nine in the evening when I got home . We had taken next to no wine , a pint of Madeira apiece during dinner , and six bottles of claret between us afterwards , so I went to bed as cool as a cucumber , and slept soundly for several hours , until awakened by my old gander -- now do be quiet , Cringle -- by my old watchman of a gander , cackling like a hero . I struck my repeater -- half past one so I turned myself , and was once more falling over into the arms of Morpheus , when I thought I saw some dark object flit silently across the open window that looks into the piazza , between me and the deep blue and as yet moonless sky . This somewhat startled me , but it might have been one of the servants .