midnight
Keith noticed that they greeted his companions with respect and deference . He experienced a feeling of being at the centre of things . The evening drifted by pleasantly . Along toward midnight , John Sherwood , without a hat , stopped long enough to exchange a few joking remarks , then sauntered on . `` I know him , '' Keith told Calhoun Bennett . `` That 's John Sherwood . He 's at our hotel .