midnight
But she knew all -- she had read the whole ; and well -- oh ! well might she shudder and turn pale . For terrible indeed must have been the revelations of a manuscript whereof the few lines above alluded to gave promise of such appalling interest , -- those lines which ran thus : `` Merciless scalpel hacked and hewed away at the still almost palpitating flesh of the murdered man , in whose breast the dagger remained deeply buried , -- a ferocious joy -- a savage , hyena-like triumph now -- '' But we are to some extent digressing from the thread of our narrative . Nisida placed the lamp in the chimney , in such a way that its light was concealed so as to leave all the immediate vicinity of the door in a state of complete darkness ; and she seated herself in a chair close by , to await the expected events of midnight . Slowly , slowly passed the intervening twenty minutes ; and the lady had ample leisure to reflect upon all the incidents of her life -- ay , and to shudder too at one which had dyed her hand with blood -- the blood of Agnes ! Yet , though she shuddered thus , she did not look upon it with that unbounded , tremendous horror that would be experienced by a lady similarly placed in these times ; for jealousy was a feeling that , by the tacit convention of a vitiated society , was an excuse for even murder ; and , moreover , she possessed the true Italian heart , which deemed the death of a rival in love a justifiable act of vengeance . But she felt some compunction , because she had learnt , when it was too late , that Agnes was not the mistress of Fernand Wagner ; and she was convinced that in affirming this much he had uttered the strictest truth .