four o'clock in the morning
He did not remember clearly what happened afterwards . The faces of the cards grew less distinct and the lights more dazzling . He played blindly and won almost without interruption until the other men dropped off one by one , having lost as much as they cared to part with at one sitting . At four o'clock in the morning Orsino went home in a cab , having about fifteen thousand francs in his pockets . The men he had played with were mostly young fellows like himself , having a limited allowance of pocket money , and Orsino 's winnings were very large under the circumstances . The night air cooled his head and he laughed gaily to himself as he drove through the deserted streets . His hand was steady enough now , and the gas lamps did not move disagreeably before his eyes .