midnight
A strange wild glee spread from one to another of the party , which , much to the surprise of his companions , began with and was communicated from , Fanshawe . He seemed to overflow with conceptions inimitably ludicrous , but so singular , that , till his hearers had imbibed a portion of his own spirit , they could only wonder at , instead of enjoying them . His applications to the wine were very unfrequent ; yet his conversation was such as one might expect from a bottle of champagne endowed by a fairy with the gift of speech . The secret of this strange mirth lay in the troubled state of his spirits , which , like the vexed ocean at midnight -LRB- if the simile be not too magnificent -RRB- , tossed forth a mysterious brightness . The undefined apprehensions that had drawn him to the inn still distracted his mind ; but , mixed with them , there was a sort of joy not easily to be described . By degrees , and by the assistance of the wine , the inspiration spread , each one contributing such a quantity , and such quality of wit and whim , as was proportioned to his genius ; but each one , and all , displaying a greater share of both than they had ever been suspected of possessing . At length , however , there was a pause , -- the deep pause of flagging spirits , that always follows mirth and wine .