midnight
Lord God , but this has been a day . '' He whirled about with a quick gesture of his hands , a harsh , raspy laugh that was very near a sob , and left her . Twenty minutes later , when Stella was irresistibly drawn back to the bedroom , she found him sitting sober and silent , looking at his son . A little past midnight Jack Junior died . Stella sat watching the gray lines of rain beat down on the asphalt , the muddy rivulets that streamed along the gutter . A forlorn sighing of wind in the bare boughs of a gaunt elm that stood before her window reminded her achingly of the wind drone among the tall firs . A ghastly two weeks had intervened since Jack Junior 's little life blinked out .