One o'clock in the morning
The clock in the drawing - room struck twelve , the strokes echoed through the room one after the other , and everything was quiet again . Hermann stood leaning against the cold stove . He was calm , his heart beat regularly , like that of a man resolved upon a dangerous but inevitable undertaking . One o'clock in the morning struck ; then two , and he heard the distant noise of carriage-wheels . An involuntary agitation took possession of him . The carriage drew near and stopped . He heard the sound of the carriage steps being let down .