midnight
From the lower part of the house came the faint sounds of the few remaining revelers . * * * * * When Aaron King and Conrad Lagrange left the house on Fairlands Heights that night , they walked quickly , as though eager to escape from the brilliantly lighted vicinity . Neither spoke until they were some distance away . Then the novelist , checking his quick stride , pointed toward the shadowy bulk of the mountains that heaved their mighty crests and peaks in solemn grandeur high into the midnight sky . `` Well , boy , '' he said , `` the mountains are still there . It 's good to see them again , is n't it ? '' Reaching home , the older man bade his friend good night .