midnight
Here were heard the click of turnspits , the rattle of sauce-pans , the clash of glasses and silver plate in the commotion attending the preparation of the feast ; while over all rose a warm vapour smelling pleasantly of roast meat , piquant herbs , and complex sauces , and which seemed to say to the farmers , as well as to the chaplain and to the bailiff , and to everybody : `` What a good midnight repast we are going to have after the mass ! '' Ting-a-ring ! -- a -- ring ! The midnight mass is beginning in the chapel of the château , which is a cathedral in miniature , with groined and vaulted roofs , oak wood-work as high as the walls , expanded draperies , and tapers all aglow . And what a lot of people ! What grand dresses ! First of all , seated in the carved stalls that line the choir , is the Lord of Trinquelague in a coat of salmon-coloured silk , and about him are ranged all the noble lords who have been invited .