About midnight
I wished to make further inquiries , but the professor hurried swiftly through the passage , and that was enough to show his unwillingness to answer more . We went back to the college , and I readily accepted the invitation of the professor , who wished me , in the afternoon , to go with him to some public gardens in the neighbourhood . We returned home late , a storm had risen , and I had scarcely reached my dwelling than the rain began to pour down . About midnight the sky cleared up , and the thunder only murmured in the distance . Through the open windows the warm air , laden with scents , entered the room , and though I was weary I could not resist the temptation to take a walk . I succeeded in waking the surly man-servant , who had been snoring for about two hours ; and in showing him that there was no madness in walking at midnight . Soon I found myself in the street .