midnight
The anticipation was not realized ; she still persisted in denying that `` the Master '' had left her . They were obliged to restrain the poor creature by force when the coffin was lowered into the grave ; and they could only remove her from the cemetery by the same means when the burial-service was over . From that time her life alternated , for a few weeks , between fits of raving delirium and intervals of lethargic repose . At the annual ball given in the asylum , when the strict superintendence of the patients was in some degree relaxed , the alarm was raised , a little before midnight , that Ariel was missing . The nurse in charge had left her asleep , and had yielded to the temptation of going downstairs to look at the dancing . When the woman returned to her post , Ariel was gone . The presence of strangers , and the confusion incidental to the festival , offered her facilities for escaping which would not have presented themselves at any other time .