midnight
`` And we 'd fly over the desert ? Oh , that would be thrillsome ! Please book me a seat for next year , and I 'll go ! '' The _ Clytie _ arrived at Malta in the morning , and , as the local steamer did not start for Syracuse until midnight , the Ingleton party had the whole day at Valetta on their hands . They very sensibly established themselves at an hotel , ordered lunch and dinner there , then went out into the town to take a walk along the ramparts and see what sights they could . Valetta , with its streets of steps , its wonderfully fortified harbors , its gay public gardens , its cathedral , and its armory of the Knights of St. John , where are preserved hundreds of priceless suits of armor belonging to the Crusaders , the famous silver bells that rang peals from the churches , and the rare and beautiful pieces of Maltese lace exhibited in the shop windows , had many attractions for strangers , particularly those of British nationality . In the midst of such foreign surroundings it was delightful to hear English spoken in the streets , to see the familiar figure of a policeman , and to know that the great warships in the harbor were part of the British Fleet , and were ready at any time to protect our merchant vessels .