midnight
My lady 's maid and the housemaid , had , it appeared , neither of them believed in Rosanna 's illness of the previous day . These two devils -- I ask your pardon ; but how else _ can _ you describe a couple of spiteful women ? -- had stolen upstairs , at intervals during the Thursday afternoon ; had tried Rosanna 's door , and found it locked ; had knocked , and not been answered ; had listened , and not heard a sound inside . When the girl had come down to tea , and had been sent up , still out of sorts , to bed again , the two devils aforesaid had tried her door once more , and found it locked ; had looked at the keyhole , and found it stopped up ; had seen a light under the door at midnight , and had heard the crackling of a fire -LRB- a fire in a servant 's bedroom in the month of June ! -RRB- at four in the morning . All this they had told Sergeant Cuff , who , in return for their anxiety to enlighten him , had eyed them with sour and suspicious looks , and had shown them plainly that he did n't believe either one or the other . Hence , the unfavourable reports of him which these two women had brought out with them from the examination .