two o’clock
in the morning
Violent pains in the bones of the skull made him feel at times as if his head must split . Old Mme. Rougon , who had been informed of his illness , came to inquire after her son . But she went straight to the kitchen , wishing to have a talk with Martine first . The latter , with a heart-broken and terrified air , said to her that monsieur must certainly be going mad ; and she told her of his singular behavior , the continual tramping about in his room , the locking of all the drawers , the rounds which he made from the top to the bottom of the house , until two o'clock in the morning . Tears filled her eyes and she at last hazarded the opinion that monsieur must be possessed with a devil , and that it would be well to notify the cure of St. Saturnin . `` So good a man , '' she said , `` a man for whom one would let one 's self be cut in pieces ! How unfortunate it is that one can not get him to go to church , for that would certainly cure him at once . ''