midnight
How much less then could she suspect what was slumbering , as the fruit of this love , within her soul . '' `` And yet you say she fought against it and tried to exterminate it ? '' `` Not spiritually , not consciously . Her thought remained pure till that terrible midnight hour . It was only her instinct which struggled against the poison . That drew new resources daily from the healthy depths of her strong nature , by which to secrete the putrid matter or at least to enclose it so that it became innocuous . For this reason she condemned herself to exile , for this reason even in face of your house she contemplated a hasty retreat .