midnight
Then , turning her persuasive eyes upon me , she asked , `` Do you not believe , Monsieur Bonnard , that there is nothing in life worth having except sensations ? '' `` Why , certainly , Madame , '' I answered ; `` but then we must take into consideration the nature of the sensations themselves . Those which a noble memory or a grand spectacle creates within us certainly represent what is best in human life ; but those merely resulting from the menace of danger seem to me sensations which one should be very careful to avoid as much as possible . For example , would you think it a very pleasant thing , Madame , while travelling over the mountains at midnight , to find the muzzle of a carbine suddenly pressed against your forehead ? '' `` Oh , no ! '' she replied ; `` the comic-operas have made carbines absolutely ridiculous , and it would be a great misfortune to any young woman to find herself in danger from an absurd weapon . But it would be quite different with a knife -- a very cold and very bright knife blade , which makes a cold shudder go right through one 's heart . ''