midnight
. . . At midnight he started from a doze , half a swoon , half a sleep , which probably the hardness of his seat , and of the deal table on which he leaned , had not contributed to prolong . He was in complete darkness ; the horror of his situation struck him at once , and for a moment he was indeed almost qualified for an inmate of that dreadful mansion . He felt his way to the door , shook it with desperate strength , and uttered the most frightful cries , mixed with expostulations and commands . His cries were in a moment echoed by a hundred voices .