nine o'clock
Batterbury was beaten soundly ; and when it was dark the party assembled in a large marquee . There a conjuror first performed , and after giving all the usual wonders , produced from an inexhaustible box such pretty presents in the way of well-furnished work-bags and other useful articles for the girls that these were delighted . But the surprise of the evening was yet to come . It was not nine o'clock when the conjuror finished , and Mr. Dodgson was thinking anxiously that the party would be back in Stokebridge long before the feast was over . Suddenly a great pair of curtains across the end of the tent drew aside and a regular stage was seen . Mr. Brook had obtained the services of five or six actors and actresses from the Birmingham theatre , together with scenery and all accessories ; and for two hours and a half the audience was kept in a roar of laughter by some well-acted farces . When the curtain fell at last , Mr. Brook himself came in front of it .