about eleven o'clock
To us who knew something of the Spanish knife and the Italian stiletto , the probabilities seemed to be that he would never live to reach Washington . Then the mutterings of the thunder grew deeper and deeper , and some disruption seemed inevitable , evident to us far away , while you at home , it seemed , were eating and drinking , marrying and giving in marriage , holding gala-days and enjoying yourselves generally , on the brink of an arousing volcano from which the sulphurous smoke already began to ascend to the heavens ! So time passed on ; autumn became winter , and December was rolling away . `` I was sitting with half-a-dozen friends in the chess-room at Very 's , about eleven o'clock on the night of the twentieth of December , talking over some of the marvellous successes which had been won by Paul Morphy when in Paris , and the unenviable position in which Howard Staunton had placed himself by keeping out of the lists through evident fear of the New-Orleanian , when Adolph Von Berg came behind me and laid his hand on my shoulder . '' ` Come with me a moment , ' he said , ` you are wanted ! ' '' ` Where ? ' I asked , getting up from my seat and following him to the door , before which stood a light _ coupé _ , with its red lights flashing , the horse smoking , and the driver in his seat . ''