midnight
I endured it in silence , but now when time has elapsed I think it my duty to explain myself . Finally , treacherously deceiving me several times by making humbugging appointments , you tried , it seems , to make me play the part of a fool and a laughing-stock for you , which I never intend to be . Then after first inviting me and thoroughly deceiving me , you informed me that you were called away to your suffering aunt who had had a stroke , precisely at five o'clock as you stated with shameful exactitude . Luckily for me , sir , in the course of these three days I have succeeded in making inquiries and have learnt from them that your aunt had a stroke on the day before the seventh not long before midnight . From this fact I see that you have made use of sacred family relations in order to deceive persons in no way concerned with them . Finally , in your last letter you mention the death of your relatives as though it had taken place precisely at the time when I was to have visited you to consult about various business matters . But here the vileness of your arts and calculations exceeds all belief , for from trustworthy information which I was able by a lucky chance to obtain just in the nick of time , I have found out that your aunt died twenty-four hours later than the time you so impiously fixed for her decease in your letter .