midnight
To Leigh , on the contrary , it was sometimes a comparative unreality , a vista suggesting thoughts of Thebes and Babylon and Rome , a symbol of life 's pilgrimage , a path where multitudinous sounds blended into a universal chant of the voyager . It was perhaps this difference that constituted an element of attraction between the two men . The star-gazer admired the practical qualities that made for success in the world below his tower , and the politician paid an involuntary tribute to a spirituality above his own . Lena Harpster also heard the midnight bell , as she stood in the shadow of a row of tall brick mansions and gazed patiently down the alley , listening for her lover 's step . She was undoubtedly as pretty a girl as could be found in Warwick ; so pretty , in fact , that when she applied for a position as maid , experienced housekeepers were wont to balance her attractions against the probity of their men-folk . Not infrequently they decided that the former might weigh heavier in the scale , and reserved the place for one less favoured . She was tall and slender , with a light step and a winning grace of movement .