midnight
Then he opened the door for her to pass out , and as her skirts brushed against him he bowed with studied deference , murmuring a cordial `` Good-night ! '' `` And remember , Lady Blakeney , '' he added politely , `` that should you at any time desire to communicate with me at my rooms , 19 , Rue Dupuy , I hold myself entirely at your service . '' Then as her tall , graceful figure disappeared in the outside gloom he passed his thin hand over his mouth as if to wipe away the last lingering signs of triumphant irony : `` The second visit will work wonders , I think , my fine lady , '' he murmured under his breath . It was close on midnight now , and still they sat opposite one another , he the friend and she the wife , talking over that brief half-hour that had meant an eternity to her . Marguerite had tried to tell Sir Andrew everything ; bitter as it was to put into actual words the pathos and misery which she had witnessed , yet she would hide nothing from the devoted comrade whom she knew Percy would trust absolutely . To him she repeated every word that Percy had uttered , described every inflection of his voice , those enigmatical phrases which she had not understood , and together they cheated one another into the belief that hope lingered somewhere hidden in those words . `` I am not going to despair , Lady Blakeney , '' said Sir Andrew firmly ; `` and , moreover , we are not going to disobey .