midnight
But where does the original occur ? C. D. M . In the exact centre of the bridge something diluted his mood ; he halted , leaning against the railing , to consider the splendour of the scene . The hour was late -- moving on toward midnight -- but in the tall black precipices of Manhattan scattered lights gleamed , in an odd , irregular pattern like the sparse punctures on the raffle-board -- `` take a chance on a Milk-Fed Turkey '' -- the East Indian elevator-boy presents to apartment-house tenants about Hallowe'en . A fume of golden light eddied over uptown merriment : he could see the ruby beacon on the Metropolitan Tower signal three quarters . Underneath the airy decking of the bridge a tug went puffing by , her port and starboard lamps trailing red and green threads over the tideway . Some great argosy of the Staten Island fleet swept serenely down to St. George , past Liberty in her soft robe of light , carrying theatred commuters , dazed with weariness and blinking at the raw fury of the electric bulbs .