midnight
Eleven o'clock was striking . The father and son preserved a profound silence towards each other , where an intelligent observer would have expected cries and tears . But these two men were of such a nature that all emotion following their final resolutions plunged itself so deep into their hearts that it was lost forever . They passed , then , silently and almost breathlessly , the hour that preceded midnight . The clock , by striking , alone pointed out to them how many minutes had lasted the painful journey made by their souls in the immensity of their remembrances of the past and fear of the future . Athos rose first , saying , `` it is late , then ... . Till to-morrow . ''