midnight
Not that Mr. Flint had hinted of such a thing ! He had , in the telegram , merely urged the senator himself to see Mr. Hunt , and to make one more attempt to restrain the loyalty to that candidate of Messrs. Bascom and Botcher . The senator made the attempt , and failed signally . It was half-past midnight by the shining face of the clock on the tower of the state-house , and hope flamed high in the bosom of the Honourable Adam B. Hunt a tribute to the bellows-like skill of Messrs. Bascom and Botcher . The bands in the street had blown themselves out , the delegates were at last seeking rest , the hall boys in the corridors were turning down the lights , and the Honourable Adam , in a complacent and even jubilant frame of mind , had put on his carpet slippers and taken off his coat , when there came a knock at his door . He was not a little amazed and embarrassed , upon opening it , to see the Honourable Hilary . But these feelings gave place almost immediately to a sense of triumph ; gone were the days when he had to report to Number Seven .