midnight
It was extremely unfortunate for Joshua Daunton that he had cut the lip that day . The kind doctor was still by during the apparelling , or the attempt at it . He examined the rotten clothes , and he soon discovered that they had been saturated in different parts by some corrosive liquid , that , instead of impairing , really improved the brilliancy of the cloth . During these proceedings , Captain Reud and his guests had eaten up the dinner ; but the captain , not being pleased to be pleasantly humoured that day , sent word to Mr Pigtop to go to the mast-head till midnight for disrespect in not attending to the invitation that he had accepted . There was no appeal , and aloft went the wounded , ragged , famished hoper of devouring turtle-soup . Joshua looked very demure and very unhappy ; but Dr Thompson set on foot an inquiry , and the truth of the destruction of the clothes was soon ascertained . The loblolly-boy , that is , the young man who had charge of the laboratory where all the medicines were kept , confessed , after a little hesitation , that for certain glasses of grog he had given this pernicious liquid to Daunton .