midnight
The city was quiet on the surface , but there was a low deep undercurrent of sound , like the soft purring of a lion before he roars . The sky was bright with stars . There was no moon , but over the Isle was a faint tremulous glow . `` It is long past midnight , '' said Gaspard ; `` in a little it will be dawn . '' Suddenly a shot cracked out . It was so sharp a sound among the muffled noises that it stung the ear like a whip-lash . It came from the dark mass of the Louvre , from somewhere beyond the Grand Jardin .