About midnight
She had never taken a dose of medicine in her life , and never would , of her own freewill . Sage tea was worth all the pills and nostrums in the world . On the faith of her repeated assertions , that she felt a great deal better and would be quite well in the morning , we slept , my mother and myself , leaving the lamp dimly burning by the solemn hour-glass . About midnight we were awakened by the wild ravings of delirious agony , -- those sounds so fearful in themselves , so awful in the silence and darkness of night , so indescribably awful in the solitude of our lonely dwelling . Peggy had struggled with disease like `` the strong man prepared to run a race , '' but it had now seized her with giant grasp , and she lay helpless and writhing , with the fiery fluid burning in her veins , sending dark , red flashes to her cheeks and brow . Her eyes had a fierce , lurid glare , and she tossed her head from side to side on the pillow with the wild restlessness of an imprisoned animal . `` Good God ! ''