midnight
Poor heart , that was likely to be burst and torn -- wonderingly , helplessly -- in the half-comprehended struggle ! So it happened , that , tired with all this , sore with its daily pressure and recurrence , this moment of strange peace came over her , and soothed her into rest . She laid herself back , there , on the broad , soft , old-fashioned sofa , and with the river breeze upon her brow , and the song of its waters in her ears , and the deadened hum of the factory rumbling on -- she fell asleep . How long it had been , she could not tell ; she knew not whether it were evening , or midnight , or near the morning ; but she felt cold and cramped ; everything save the busy river was still , and the daylight was all gone , and stars out bright in the deep , moonless sky , when she awoke . Awoke , bewilderedly , and came slowly to the comprehension that she was here alone . That it was night -- that nobody could know it -- that she was locked up here , in the great dreary mill . She raised herself upon the sofa , and sat in a terrified amaze .