midnight
And yet , simple as the suggestion seemed , it was the very last thing with which Steel could comply . The novelist turned the matter over rapidly in his mind . His quick perceptions flashed along the whole logical line instantaneously . He was like a man who suddenly sees a midnight landscape by the glare of a dazzling flash of lightning . `` I am sorry , '' he said , slowly , `` very sorry , to disappoint you . Were our situations reversed , I should take up your position exactly . But it so happens that I can not , dare not , tell you where I got those notes from .