midnight
`` Seems as if it came from the other part of the building , '' said Peace , peering across the moonlit court toward the windows of the opposite wing . `` But there are no babies over there , '' the nurse objected . `` Nearly all the patients in that section are old men , and the nurses ' rooms are on the top floor . '' `` Well , that 's where the crying comes from anyway , '' Peace insisted , as another low , persistent wail rose on the midnight air . `` Are you _ sure _ there ai n't _ any _ babies over there ? '' `` None that I know of . I 'll go investigate .