midnight
I must have help . If you do n't come to my rescue it will mean war with your line , I dare say . '' Mr. Illis sat back , staring at the ceiling for a long time . From the street below came the whir and clatter of taxicabs as the midnight crowd came and went . The city 's nocturnal life was at its height ; men had put aside the worries of the day and were devoting themselves to the more serious and exhausting pastimes of relaxation . Still the white-haired Briton weighed in his mind the matter of millions , while the fortunes of Murray O'Neil hung in the balance . `` My people wo n't buy the S. R. & N. , '' Illis finally announced .