midnight
As the tale unfolded , the girl 's heart was like a lute swept by chords and dissonances of emotion . She was thrilled to horror , moved to strange sympathy ; by turns fearful and sympathetic . `` I believe , '' the Doctor went on , `` that I was a more than ordinarily hard-working student . Night after night I burned the midnight oil . I was ambitious to forge ahead . I was eager to finish my course and to begin the practice of the profession that I so deeply loved . I was possessed by a feeling that I had been created for this calling .