midnight
As a boy , you know , curiously enough , I always believed in the efficacy of names and the importance of naming true . I think , '' he added somewhat diffidently , looking up straight into the luminous eyes above him , `` if you will allow me to say so , I would follow you anywhere , Mr. Skale -- anywhere you cared to lead . '' '' ` Upon him that overcometh , ' '' said the clergyman in that gentle voice he sometimes used , soft as the voice of woman , '' ` will I write my new name ... ' '' He gazed down very searchingly into the other 's eyes for a minute or two , then shook the proffered hand without another word . And so they separated and went to bed , for it was long past midnight . In his bedroom , though excitement banished sleep in spite of the lateness of the hour , he was too exhausted to make any effective attempt to reduce the confusion of his mind to order . For the first time in his life the diary-page for the day remained blank . For a long time he sat before it with his pencil -- then sighed and put it away .