Midnight
The thought of the bacillus made the pages seem colourless ; it dwarfed all meaning in the words . I gave up the attempt and set myself to smoking and gazing into the fire . What was I to do about Alice ? Midnight came and my mind was still seething . I knew sleep was out of the question and the desire to walk assailed me . I put on a coat and hat and left the house . It was a cold night , clear with stars .