midnight
He thought of employing his own hand to free the world from such a wretch ; but death , he remembered , had been already mocked . For days he remained in this state ; shut up in his room , he saw no one , and ate only when his sister came , who , with eyes streaming with tears , besought him , for her sake , to support nature . At last , no longer capable of bearing stillness and solitude , he left his house , roamed from street to street , anxious to fly that image which haunted him . His dress became neglected , and he wandered , as often exposed to the noon-day sun as to the midnight damps . He was no longer to be recognized ; at first he returned with the evening to the house ; but at last he laid him down to rest wherever fatigue overtook him . His sister , anxious for his safety , employed people to follow him ; but they were soon distanced by him who fled from a pursuer swifter than any -- from thought . His conduct , however , suddenly changed .