about midnight
The top branches of the trees in the little orchard touched his window and tapped ever and again ; a fire burnt brightly , he had drawn his curtains and beyond the windows the great sheet of stars , the black houses , the white light of the moon . And there , before him -- what mockery ! the neat pages of `` The Stone House '' now almost completed . He stared into the wall and saw her face , her red-gold hair upon the pillow , her dark staring eyes -- Once the nurse came to him -- Yes , she was suffering , but all went well ... it would be about midnight , perhaps . There was no cause for alarm ... . He thought that the nurse looked at him with compassion . He turned fiercely upon Life that it should have brought this to them when they were both so young .