midnight
However , he was really mistaken in this , for Robine never talked more than he did now . He was always the first to arrive , just as the clock struck eight ; and he always sat in the same corner , never letting go his hold of his cane , and never taking off either his hat or his overcoat . No one had ever seen him without his hat upon his head . He remained there listening to the talk of the others till midnight , taking four hours to empty his mug of beer , and gazing successively at the different speakers as though he heard them with his eyes . When Florent afterwards questioned Gavard about Robine , the poultry dealer spoke of the latter as though he held him in high esteem . Robine , he asserted , was an extremely clever and able man , and , though he was unable to say exactly where he had given proof of his hostility to the established order of things , he declared that he was one of the most dreaded of the Government 's opponents . He lived in the Rue Saint Denis , in rooms to which no one as a rule could gain admission .