midnight
He took another cross street , and without breasting the throng on the Promenade , made his way to the fashionable club which overlooks that thoroughfare . Here , amid the blaze of crowded baccarat tables , he caught sight of Lord Hubert Dacey , seated with his habitual worn smile behind a rapidly dwindling heap of gold . The heap being in due course wiped out , Lord Hubert rose with a shrug , and joining Selden , adjourned with him to the deserted terrace of the club . It was now past midnight , and the throng on the stands was dispersing , while the long trails of red-lit boats scattered and faded beneath a sky repossessed by the tranquil splendour of the moon . Lord Hubert looked at his watch . `` By Jove , I promised to join the Duchess for supper at the LONDON HOUSE ; but it 's past twelve , and I suppose they 've all scattered . The fact is , I lost them in the crowd soon after dinner , and took refuge here , for my sins .