midnight
They stood frozen to stone , their eyes fixed on one another , staring . The bell had hardly stopped ringing , when there was a slow , whirring noise . The doors of the lift flew open , and the Duke stepped out of it . But what a changed figure from the admirably dressed dandy who had walked through the startled detectives and out of the house of M. Gournay-Martin at midnight ! He was pale , exhausted , almost fainting . His eyes were dim in a livid face ; his lips were grey . He was panting heavily .