midnight
Flodoardo was not yet arrived . The assembly was brilliant , the conversation was gay . They talked over the politics of the day , and discussed the various occurrences of Europe . The Cardinal and Contarino were engaged in a conference with the Doge , while Memmo , Parozzi , and Falieri stood silent together , and revolved the project whose execution was to take place at midnight . The weather was dark and tempestuous . The wind roared among the waters of the canal , and the vanes of the palace-towers creaked shrilly and discordantly . One storm of rain followed hard upon another .