midnight
I tried it once or twice and was near committing suicide in the attempt . '' There was something so kind , frank , yet withal so eccentric , and , as it would seem , so unconsciously humorous in the worthy father 's manner , that the stranger , whilst he felt embarrassed by the good-natured bluntness of his interrogations , could not help experiencing a sensation that was equally novel and delightful , arising as it did from the candor and honesty of purpose that were so evident in all the worthy man did and said . `` I should never have supposed , from the remarkable taste of your dress and your general appearance , '' he replied , `` that you make your toilet without a looking-glass . '' `` It 's a fact , though ; neither I nor my worthy father before me ever troubled one ; we left them to the girshas and the women ; habit is everything , and for that reason I could shave as well at midnight as at the hour of noon . However , let us pass that by , thank God I can go out with as clane a face , and I trust with as clear a conscience , always barring the passions that Mat Euly puts me into , as some of my neighbors ; yet , God forgive me , why should I boast ? for I know and feel that I fall far short of my duty in every sense , especially when I reflect how much of poverty and destitution are scattered through this apparently wealthy parish . God forgive me , then , for the boast I made , for it was both wrong and sinful ! ''