midnight
She bade me come to you , to ask her of you openly , and to tell you all . '' `` Then , sir , once for all , let me tell you , you talk in vain ; never will my pride permit my beautiful child -- she whom I have educated and trained to grace the home of the first in our land -- to become the humble bride of a hireling clerk . Out upon you , for daring to ask it ! '' `` And where would be the pride you boast of , should I choose to bruit to the world those tales that I could tell , of long years of practiced deception and guilt on your part -- of wealth acquired by fraudulent means -- of midnight hours of watchfulness , which have brought you ship-loads of contraband goods -- of days and weeks spent in devising means to escape the vigilance of our Government officers , of -- '' Wilkins stopped suddenly , for Mr. Delancey fell back in his chair , groaning aloud . The head clerk held a glass of water to his lips , and he slowly recovered , and looked up in his visitor 's face with a beseeching glance in his cold gray eyes . `` I am in your power , but spare me ! spare me !