midnight
Henry Dunbar followed him to the door , listened to his receding footsteps in the corridor and upon the staircase , and then turned the key in the lock . He went back to the centre of the room , and kneeling down before one of the open portmanteaus , took out every article which it contained , slowly : removing the things one by one , and throwing most of them into a heap upon the floor . He went through this operation with the contents of all the boxes , throwing the clothes upon the floor , and carrying the papers to the writing-table , where he piled them up in a great mass . This business occupied a very long time , and the hands of an antique clock , upon a bracket in a corner of the room , pointed to midnight when the banker seated himself at the table , and began to arrange and sort his papers . This operation lasted for several hours . The candles were burnt down , and the flames flickered slowly out in the silver sockets . Mr. Dunbar went to one of the windows , drew back the green-cloth curtain , unbarred the heavy shutters , and let the grey morning light into the room .