a
quarter to eleven
On the contrary , our first duty is to be as irreligious as possible -- to believe in as little as we can , to trust in nobody but ourselves , to hope for nothing but the actual , to get rid of all high-flown notions of human beings and their destiny , and , above all , to avoid as poison the ideal , the sublime , the -- '' His words were drowned at last in musical cries of indignation from Mrs. Molyneux . I remember no more of the discussion , except that Atherley continued to reiterate his doctrine in different words , and Mrs. Molyneux to denounce it with unabated fervour . My thoughts wandered -- I heard no more . I was tired and depressed , and felt grateful to Lady Atherley when , with invariable punctuality , at a quarter to eleven , she interrupted the symposium by rising and proposing that we should all go to bed . My last distinct recollection of that evening is of Mrs. Molyneux , with the folds of her gown in one hand , and a bedroom candlestick in the other , mounting the dark oak stairs , and calling out fervently as she went -- `` Oh , how I pray that I may see the ghost ! '' The night was stormy , and I could not sleep . The wind wailed fitfully outside the house , while within doors and windows rattled , and on the stairs and in the passages wandered strange and unaccountable noises , like stealthy footsteps or stifled voices .