midnight
But the investigating lawyer stopped him , and civilly suggested that he should pass on to `` more essential matters . '' At last , when he described his despair and told them how , when he left Madame Hohlakov 's , he thought that he 'd `` get three thousand if he had to murder some one to do it , '' they stopped him again and noted down that he had `` meant to murder some one . '' Mitya let them write it without protest . At last he reached the point in his story when he learned that Grushenka had deceived him and had returned from Samsonov 's as soon as he left her there , though she had said that she would stay there till midnight . `` If I did n't kill Fenya then , gentlemen , it was only because I had n't time , '' broke from him suddenly at that point in his story . That , too , was carefully written down . Mitya waited gloomily , and was beginning to tell how he ran into his father 's garden when the investigating lawyer suddenly stopped him , and opening the big portfolio that lay on the sofa beside him he brought out the brass pestle .