midnight
He clasped her in his arms , and then they lapsed into silence that to him was even sweeter than the kiss she had given him . Love 's deepest delight is the ineffable consciousness of our own weakness . We drink the sweetened cup in its entirety when , having ceased to will , we abandon ourselves with the lethal languors of the swimmer to the vague depths of dreams . And it was past midnight when the Marquis left Fitzwilliam Place . The ladies accompanied him downstairs ; their hands helped him to his hat and coat , and then the lock slipped back sharply , and in the gloom , broken in one spot by the low-burning gas , the women wondered . ` Oh , mamma , mamma , mamma ! I am so happy ! '