midnight
Did the false apprentice in his dream see the true woman ? Had he seen in the hotel de Poitiers a lady masked in virtue ? The question is difficult to decide ; and the honor of women demands that it be left , as it were , in litigation . At the moment when the Marie of the dream may have been about to forget her high dignity as mistress , the lover felt himself seized by an iron hand , and the sour voice of the grand provost said to him : -- `` Come , midnight Christian , who seeks God on the roofs , wake up ! '' The young man saw the black face of Tristan l'Hermite above him , and recognized his sardonic smile ; then , on the steps of the corkscrew staircase , he saw Cornelius , his sister , and behind them the provost guard . At that sight , and observing the diabolical faces expressing either hatred or curiosity of persons whose business it was to hang others , the so-called Philippe Goulenoire sat up on his pallet and rubbed his eyes . `` Mort-Dieu ! ''