midnight
De Valette then quitted the house , and Stanhope gladly sought the solitude of his own apartment , where he could reflect , at leisure , on the agitating events of the few last hours . He walked to and fro , with rapid steps , till , exhausted by his excitement , he threw himself beside an open window , and endeavoured to collect the confused ideas , which crowded on his mind and memory . The noise of mirth and music had long since passed away , and the weary guard , who walked his dull round of duty in solitude and silence , was the only living object which met his eye . No sound was abroad , but the voice of the restless stream , which glittered beneath the rising moon ; -- the breath of midnight fanned him with its refreshing coolness , and the calm beauty of that lonely hour gradually soothed his restless spirits . He had encountered the object of a fond and cherished attachment , but under circumstances of perplexity and doubt , which marred the pleasure of that unexpected meeting . More than two years had elapsed since he first saw Luciè de Courcy , then residing in the north of England , whither she had accompanied a maternal aunt , the widow of an Englishman of rank and fortune . Madame Rossville , who was in a declining state of health , had yielded to the importunity of her husband 's connexions , and left her native land for the summer months , hoping to receive benefit from change of scene and climate .