ten o’clock
They communicated , through long windows , with the veranda in front , and by means of doors with the passage , or hall , traversing the house from end to end . If , therefore , she happened to be sleepless , she might issue forth into the garden , and wander about there without let or hinderance until she was ready to accept the wooing of the god of dreams ; or , if supernatural terrors daunted her , she could in a few seconds transfer herself and her fears to Miriam 's chamber , which occupied the same position in the right wing that hers did in the left . The night , as is customary in that climate , where the atmosphere is pure and evaporation rapid , was cool and still . By ten o'clock there was no sound to indicate that any person was awake ; though , to an acute ear , the rise and fall of regular breathing , or even an occasional snore , might have given evidence of slumber . At the back of the house , the Indian retainers were lapped in silence . They were a harmless people , -- somewhat disposed , perhaps , to small pilferings , in an amiable and loyal way , but incapable of anything seriously criminal . There were no locks on the doors , and most of them stood ajar .