midnight
At four o'clock that afternoon he had grumbled of dullness . He lit a pipe , and contemplated the soft and delicate blues of earth and heaven , the silvery flashes on the lake , and the slim violet threads of smoke which wavered about his head . It was late . Now and then the sound of a galloping horse was borne up by the breeze , and presently Maurice heard the midnight bell boom forth from the sleepy spires of the cathedral -- where the princess was to be married . One by one the lamps of the park went out , but the moon shone on , lustrous and splendid . First he reviewed his odd adventure in the archbishop 's gardens . He had spoken to princesses before , but they were women of the world , hothouse roses that bloom and wither in a short space .