an hour after midnight
He had spoken to him of murder , and told him that the Chinamen in the Quarter , headed by Leh Shin , were looking for him to kill him , and that , for his safety , he must remain hidden away . Mhtoon Pah told him that he would protect him , and that he would produce evidence to have Leh Shin hanged , and that once he was dead he would then emerge again , but not until then . He told him how Chinamen killed their victims , and his fears and terrors communicated themselves to the boy , who delivered himself up to bondage without resistance . For weeks Absalom dragged out a miserable existence , loose when Mhtoon Pah was in the shop , but chained to the wall whenever he went out , and only for an hour after midnight was the boy ever allowed to emerge into the dark , waste garden at the back of the house . The rest of the time was spent in the cell , and Absalom broke into incoherent wailing as he called Hartley and Coryndon to witness that it had been a hard life . As the end of his story approached , Absalom grew more dramatic and quoted the parting words of Mhtoon Pah before he went out to attend the _ Pwé _ at the Pagoda . `` I leave thee in fear , '' said he , `` for thou art the apple of my eye , O Absalom , and when I am gone some calamity may befall .