midnight
But before him , like a picture on a screen , came the scene by which he had lived for so many years , the war hospital , the King by his bed , young then and a very king in looks , pinning on the breast of his muslin shirt the decoration for bravery . He sat silent while the concierge cleared the table , and put the dishes in a pan for his niece to wash . And throughout the evening he said little . At something before midnight he and his host were to set out on a grave matter , nothing less than to visit the Committee of Ten , and impart the old soldier 's discovery . In the interval he sat waiting , and nursing his grievances to keep them warm . Men came and went . From beneath the floor came , at intervals , a regular thudding which he had never heard before , and which he now learned was a press .