Ten o'clock
It was provoking not to smoke just when a few puffs would be such a comfort . Now he again hears the chimes at a distance ; the deep-toned bell rings the four quarters slowly ; the vibrations of one stroke have hardly passed away when the quiet air is startled by another stroke . How much louder and graver those musical notes sound in the hushed stillness of the night ! Ten o'clock ! Some towns -- Venice , for instance -- were all life and bustle at that hour of the night ; the streets and squares all thronged with masks and merry revellers ; the theatres , coffee-houses , dancing-rooms , were blazing with light , teeming with life , echoing with music and merriment . Budua is , instead , as dark , as lonesome , and as silent as a city of the dead . The whole town is now fast asleep .