midnight
Of all the souls who , obedient to the early summons , poured into the street , and by the south window of the study of the Prince of India , some going this direction , some that , yet each intent upon a particular purpose , not one gave a thought to the Prince , or so much as wondered if he were awake . And the indifference of the many was well for him ; it gave him immunity to pursue his specialty . But as we , the writer and the reader , are not of the many , and have an interest in the man from knowing more about him than they , what would have been intrusion in them may be excused in us . Exactly at midnight the Prince , aroused by Syama , had gone to the roof , where there was a table , with a lamp upon it which he could shade at pleasure , an hour-glass , and writing materials . An easy chair was also set for him . The view of the city offered for his inspection was circumscribed by the night . The famous places conspicuous in daytime might as well have been folded up and put away in a closet ; he could not see so much as a glimmer of light from any of them .