eleven o’clock
He is an old sea captain who fell in love with the proprietress and married her . She rules in the kitchen , but the sliding panel is always open , so that she can keep an eye on the old man , lest he should take a glass too much before closing time . Not until the gas has been turned out , and the old man is ready to go to bed , is he allowed a nightcap in the shape of a stiff glass of rum and water . At eleven o'clock the young bloods begin to arrive ; they approach the counter diffidently and ask the proprietor in a whisper whether any of the private rooms upstairs are disengaged , and then there is a rustling of skirts in the hall and cautious footsteps are creeping upstairs . `` Well , '' says the bookseller , who has suddenly found a topic of conversation , `` when are you going to be married , Blom , old man ? '' `` I have n't the means to get married , '' answered the school-master . `` Why do n't you take a wife to your bosom yourself ? ''