midnight
He had one advantage , and that was a consideration . Although he was a Negro by birth he did not speak like a Negro , and nothing is so irritating as that hateful jargon in which all the pronouns are possessive and all the verbs infinitive . Let it be understood , then , that Frycollin was a thorough coward . And now it was midnight , and the pale crescent of the moon began to sink in the west behind the trees in the park . The rays streaming fitfully through the branches made the shadows darker than ever . Frycollin looked around him anxiously . `` Brrr ! ''