noon
Rex held his breath every now and then , as the sound ceased , fearing lest every moment should be the last . The doctor tried to make out the time without carrying his watch to the night-light , failed and returned it to his pocket with a half-suppressed sigh . He had done all that he could , and yet Rex 's stony eyes were fixed on him in the early twilight , and his reputation was at stake . He knew that the thread might break at any moment , but he believed that if Greif lived until sunrise he would live until noon , and die about three o'clock in the day . ` Herr Rex , ' he said quietly , ` I think you had better send for Frau von Sigmundskron , if she would wish to see him . You told me he had no other relation near . ' Rex 's head fell forward upon his breast as though he had received a blow , though he had known all through the night that this morning might be the last , and the doctor had told him nothing unexpected .