Midnight
And , as I thought of this old soldier moving through the long series of alarms , worn with watching and wearied with assault , unenlightened yet undismayed , even down to the dreadful shock of his sister 's terror , and still showing the dogged pluck that persists in the face of defeat , I understood what Dr. Silence meant when he described him as a man `` to be counted on . '' I think there was nothing beyond this rigidity of his stern features , and a certain greyness of the complexion , to betray the turmoil of the emotions that were doubtless going on within ; and the quality of these two men , each in his own way , so keyed me up that , by the time the door was shut and we had exchanged silent greetings , all the latent courage I possessed was well to the fore , and I felt as sure of myself as I knew I ever could feel . Colonel Wragge set the bowl carefully in the centre of the table . `` Midnight , '' he said shortly , glancing at his watch , and we all three moved to our chairs . There , in the middle of that cold and silent place , we sat , with the vile bowl before us , and a thin , hardly perceptible steam rising through the damp air from the surface of the white cloth and disappearing upwards the moment it passed beyond the zone of red light and entered the deep shadows thrown forward by the projecting wall of chimney . The doctor had indicated our respective places , and I found myself seated with my back to the door and opposite the black hearth . The Colonel was on my left , and Dr. Silence on my right , both half facing me , the latter more in shadow than the former .