about midnight
-LRB- Master Gerald had seen to _ that _ . -RRB- Then the guests began to make their adieux and melt away , and presently we found ourselves alone in the marquee , a prey to that swift and penetrating melancholy that descends upon those who begin to be festive too early in the day , and find themselves unable to keep it up till bed-time . * * * * * However , there was a recrudescence of activity and brightness in the evening , as the idea of a small dance had been proposed and carried , and the invitations issued and accepted , during the five minutes which witnessed the departure of the more intimate section of the guests . When I returned from the House about midnight -- I had gone there chiefly to dine , as lobster claws and melted ices appeared to be the only fare in prospect at home -- tired to death , and conscious of an incipient cold in the head , arising from forced residence in a house in which hardly a door had been on its hinges for three days , I became aware that I was once again the lessee of a cave of harmony . The pseudo-Hungarian assassins were pounding out the latest waltz , with a disregard for time and tune which I at first attributed to champagne , but which a closer survey proved to be due to the fact that the band was being conducted , surprising as it may seem , by my brother-in-law , who had kindly undertaken to wield the _ bâton _ , while the Chief Tormentor -LRB- or whatever his proper title may have been -RRB- charged himself anew at the refreshment counter . A popping of corks in the supper-room apprised me of the fact that my guests were doing their best , at my expense , to make the Excise Returns a more cheerful feature of next year 's Budget . I went upstairs in search of a white waistcoat and one or two other necessary contributions to the festivity of the evening , picking my way with the utmost care among the greatly-engrossed couples who impeded every step ; and finally arrived at my dressing-room , to find that that hallowed apartment had been turned into a ladies ' cloak-room , and that every available article of furniture stood elbow-deep under some attractive combination of furs and feathers .