midnight
Heaven and earth had borne witness to my vow , and now held me to its stern fulfillment . Winter , or what the Neapolitans accept as winter , came on apace . For some time past the air had been full of that mild chill and vaporous murkiness , which , not cold enough to be bracing , sensibly lowered the system and depressed the spirits . The careless and jovial temperament of the people , however , was never much affected by the change of seasons -- they drank more hot coffee than usual , and kept their feet warm by dancing from midnight up to the small hours of the morning . The cholera was a thing of the past -- the cleansing of the city , the sanitary precautions , which had been so much talked about and recommended in order to prevent another outbreak in the coming year , were all forgotten and neglected , and the laughing populace tripped lightly over the graves of its dead hundreds as though they were odorous banks of flowers . `` Oggi ! Oggi ! ''