midnight
These were golden moments for Dolph . No sooner was the doctor out of sight , than pestle and mortar were abandoned ; the laboratory was left to take care of itself , and the student was off on some madcap frolic . Indeed , it must be confessed , the youngster , as he grew up , seemed in a fair way to fulfil the prediction of the old claret-coloured gentleman . He was the ringleader of all holiday sports , and midnight gambols ; ready for all kinds of mischievous pranks , and harebrained adventures . There is nothing so troublesome as a hero on a small scale , or , rather , a hero in a small town . Dolph soon became the abhorrence of all drowsy , housekeeping old citizens , who hated noise , and had no relish for waggery . The good dames , too , considered him as little better than a reprobate , gathered their daughters under their wings whenever he approached , and pointed him out as a warning to their sons .