three hours after midnight
But as soon as I stand before her -- the Queen , I mean -- and hear her voice , it seems as if a tempest swept away every thought of Helena , and it is not in my nature to deceive any one . How can I woo a girl whom I so deeply honour -- your sister , Barine -- when the image of another rules my soul ? '' Dion reminded him of his own words that the Queen was loved only as a goddess and , without waiting for his reply , turned the conversation to other topics . It was three hours after midnight when Pyrrhus warned Gorgias that it was time for departure . When the fisherman 's fleetest boat was at last bearing him back to the city he wondered whether girls who , before marriage , lived like Helena in undisturbed seclusion , would really be better wives and more content with every lot than the much-courted Barine , whom Dion had led from the gayest whirl of life in the capital to the most desolate solitude . This delightful evening was followed by a day of excitement and grave anxiety . It had been necessary to conceal the young couple from the collector 's officials , who took from Pyrrhus part of his last year 's savings , and the large new boat which he used to go out on the open sea .