midnight
Volero ! '' They listened eagerly , painfully , with ears sharpened by excitement . There came a sound -- a plash , as of a heavy drop of water falling on the stone floor ; another , and another -- the trickling of a continuous stream . All was dark as a moonless midnight . Yet Cicero took one step forward , and laid his hand upon the counter . It splashed into a pool of some warm liquid . `` Now may the Gods avert ! ''