One o'clock in the morning
They opened the schoolroom door , and John beheld , to his extreme surprise , a table spread , his eldest son at the head of it , his twin daughters , those paragons of good behaviour , peeling potatoes , and the other children , all more or less dishevelled , sitting round , blushing and discomfited . `` My dears ! '' exclaimed John Mortimer , `` this I never could have believed of you ! One o'clock in the morning ! '' Perfect silence . Brandon thought John would find it beneath his dignity to make a joke of this breach of discipline . He was rather vexed that he should have helped to discover it , and feeling a little _ de trop _ , he advanced to the top of the table .