nearly ten o'clock
I 'm afraid he saw me . Come ! '' The next time they reconnoitred , the dinner was working toward its end . It was time , for it was nearly ten o'clock , and Cynthia 's courses though not many , had been mighty . Presently the table had been cleared , and the men were drinking coffee and lighting the excellent cigars which had been Macauley 's thought when he found that Red Pepper was not on hand to provide them himself . Under the influence of these genial stimulants -- Burns never offered any others , and one man who knew it had declined to come -- the sociability grew more positive . Chester relaxed his legs under the table , feeling that at last Red 's guests could take care of themselves .