midnight
He saw the fine sweep of her brows , and the deep look beneath them as she had turned from him on their last evening in London . `` This will be good-bye , then , '' she had said ; and it occurred to him that her parting phrase had been the same as Sophy Viner 's . At the thought he jumped to his feet and took down from its hook the coat in which he had left Miss Viner 's letter . The clock marked the third quarter after midnight , and he knew it would make no difference if he went down to the post-box now or early the next morning ; but he wanted to clear his conscience , and having found the letter he went to the door . A sound in the next room made him pause . He had become conscious again that , a few feet off , on the other side of a thin partition , a small keen flame of life was quivering and agitating the air . Sophy 's face came back to him insistently .