eight o'clock
Now , could his cantankerous relative have seen my friend , he would once more have shaken his head over talents wasted . The oily eloquence which Terry lavished on that comparatively insignificant French _ douanier _ ought to have earned him a billet as first secretary to a Legation . He pictured the despair of the ladies if the power of France kept them prisoners at the frontier ; he referred warmly to that country 's reputation for chivalry ; he offered to pay the usual deposit on a car entering France and receive it back again at Fontan . To this last suggestion the harassed official replied that technically his office was closed for the night , and that after eight o'clock he could not receive money or issue papers . Finally , therefore , Terry was reduced to appealing to the cleverness and resource of a true Frenchman . It was a neat little fencing-match , which ended in the triumph of Great Britain . The functionary , treated like a gentleman by a gentleman , became anxious to accommodate , if he could do so `` consistently with honour . ''