midnight
He seemed to see himself standing before the thousands of the savage nation he went to save , and to hear the mocking voices of their witch-finders commanding him , if he were a true man and the servant of that God of Whom he prated , to give them a sign , only a little sign ; perhaps to move a stone without touching it with his hand , or to cause a dead bough to blossom . Then he would beseech Heaven with frantic prayers , and in vain , till at length , amidst a roar of laughter , he , the false prophet and the liar , was led out to his doom . He saw the piteous wondering look of the believer whom he had betrayed to death ; he saw the fierce faces and the spears on high . Seeing all this his spirit broke , and , just as the little clock in the room behind him struck the first stroke of midnight , with a great and bitter cry to God to give him back the faith and strength that he had lost , Owen 's head fell forward and he sank into a swoon there upon the window-place . Was it swoon or sleep ? At least it seemed to Owen that presently once again he was gazing into the dense intolerable blackness of the night . Then a marvel came to pass , for the blackness opened , or rather on it , framed and surrounded by it , there appeared a vision .