midnight
Sometimes he thought he was in the house in which he lived when a practising physician , at other times , in the home of his parents . As a rule , he was on the deck , or in the saloons of the _ Roland _ , crossing the ocean to America . `` Why , '' he said to himself , shaking his head , `` after all , the _ Roland _ did not sink . '' After midnight he would get up from bed and take the wrapping from a mirror hanging on the wall , which he had covered up because he was not fond of mirrors . He would hold the candle close to the glass and frighten himself by making grimaces , which distorted his features beyond recognition . Then he would talk to himself , asking questions and listening to answers , and hearing questions and giving answers . Some of this was utterly irrational , some perfectly rational .