midnight
no ! '' replied the stranger , with tenfold solemnity , `` my engagement is with no bride -- the worms ! the worms expect me ! I am a dead man -- I have been slain by robbers -- my body lies at Wurtzburg -- at midnight I am to be buried -- the grave is waiting for me -- I must keep my appointment ! '' He sprang on his black charger , dashed over the drawbridge , and the clattering of his horse 's hoofs was lost in the whistling of the night blast . The baron returned to the hall in the utmost consternation , and related what had passed . Two ladies fainted outright , others sickened at the idea of having banqueted with a spectre .