midnight
The gate-keeper 's outcry had mingled with the pious hymns of the assembled Christians in Paulina 's villa , and some of them had hurried out to help capture the disturber of the peace . But the young Bithynian was swifter than they and might consider himself perfectly safe when once he had succeeded in mixing with a festal procession . Half-willingly and half-perforce , he followed the drunken throng which was making its way from the heart of the city towards the lake , where , on a lonely spot on the shore to the east of Nikropolis , they were to celebrate certain nocturnal mysteries . The goal of the singing , shouting , howling mob with whom Antinous was carried along , was between Alexandria and Canopus and far enough from Lochias ; thus it fell out that it was long past midnight when Hadrian 's favorite , dirty , out of breath , and his clothes torn , at last appeared in the presence of his master . Hadrian had expected Antinous many hours since , and the impatience and vexation which had been long seething in him were reflected plainly enough in his sternly-bent brow and the threatening fire of his eye . `` Where have you been ? '' he imperiously asked .