midnight
`` Thank you for your trust , Messere . '' _ If I am right in thinking that he hates this as much as I do , then he hates me for making him stay here . _ * * * * * The thump of Daoud 's boots on the cobblestones echoed against the fronts of the huddled houses . Armed with sword and dagger , his head clear , and keeping to the wider streets , Daoud felt safe from attack , even though it was well past midnight . Besides , the Filippeschi had been won over , so he need no longer fear them . Fear , he thought , was the wrong word for it . Tonight he would welcome battle .