midnight
Captain Cai , worried by the murmur of their voices , climbed out of bed to close the window . His hand was outstretched to do so when , through the open sash , he caught a few articulate words -- a fragment of a sentence . Said one -- speaking low but earnestly -- `` If I should survive my wife , _ as I hope to do _ -- '' Unwilling to play the eavesdropper , or to startle them by shutting the window , Captain Cai very delicately withdrew , climbed back into bed , and drew the edge of the bedclothes over his ear . Soon he was asleep ; but , even as he dropped off , the absurd phrase wove itself into the midnight chime from the church tower and passed on to weave itself into his dreams and vex them . `` If I should survive my wife -- '' In his dreams he was back in Troy , indeed , and yet among foreigners . They spoke in English , too ; but they conversed with one another , not with him , as though he might overhear but could not be expected to understand . One dream -- merely ludicrous when he awoke and recalled it -- gave him real distress while it lasted .