midnight
he is much what I was at his age , begotten of Delilah and Lucifer , hand of iron in glove of velvet , eh , Dick ! I hear he is hail-fellow-well-met with the King and with Buckingham and Killigrew and their wild set . Ah , boys will be boys ! ` We have heard the chimes at midnight , ' eh , Dick ? '' And the Governor in high good humor skipped up the steps with the agility of youth , bent low with sugared compliments over the hands of his hostesses and of Mistress Betty Carrington , and gave courteous greeting to the assembled gentlemen , after which the company flowed back into the grateful twilight of hall and `` great room , '' where the weather , the state of the crops , and the last horse-race engaged them until the announcement of dinner . With a flourish of his costly handkerchief , the Governor offered his arm to the young mistress of the house , and led the way to the dining-room , where old Humfrey , the butler , marshaled the guests to their seats . Mistress Betty Carrington had for her cavalier Sir Charles Carew , to whose honeyed words she listened with a species of awe , wondering in her innocent soul if all the wild tales they told of this very fine , smooth-tongued , handsome gentleman could be true .