midnight
A leaden water-pipe and gutter served for the two ; and Strong , looking out from his kitchen one day , saw that he could spring with great ease up to the sill of his neighbor 's window , and clamber up the pipe which communicated from one to the other . He had laughingly shown this refuge to his chum , Altamont ; and they had agreed that it would be as well not to mention the circumstance to Captain Costigan , whose duns were numerous , and who would be constantly flying down the pipe into their apartments if this way of escape were shown to him . But now that the evil days were come , Strong made use of the passage , and one afternoon burst in upon Bows and Costigan with his jolly face , and explained that the enemy was in waiting on his staircase , and that he had taken this means of giving them the slip . So while Mr. Marks 's aid-de-camps were in waiting in the passage of No. 3 , Strong walked down the steps of No. 4 , dined at the Albion , went to the play , and returned home at midnight , to the astonishment of Mrs. Bolton and Fanny , who had not seen him quit his chambers and could not conceive how he could have passed the line of sentries . Strong bore this siege for some weeks with admirable spirit and resolution , and as only such an old and brave soldier would , for the pains and privations which he had to endure were enough to depress any man of ordinary courage ; and what vexed and `` riled '' him -LRB- to use his own expression -RRB- was the infernal indifference and cowardly ingratitude of Clavering , to whom he wrote letter after letter , which the baronet never acknowledged by a single word , or by the smallest remittance , though a five-pound note , as Strong said , at that time would have been a fortune to him . But better days were in store for the chevalier , and in the midst of his despondency and perplexities there came to him a most welcome aid , `` Yes , if it had n't been for this good fellow here , '' said Strong ; `` for a good fellow you are , Altamont , my boy , and hang me if I do n't stand by you as long as I live ; I think , Pendennis , it would have been all up with Ned Strong . It was the fifth week of my being kept a prisoner , for I could n't be always risking my neck across that water-pipe , and taking my walks abroad through poor old Cos 's window , and my spirit was quite broken , sir -- dammy , quite beat , and I was thinking of putting an end to myself , and should have done it in another week , when who should drop down from heaven but Altamont ! ''