midnight
And as if her sex were not enough -LSB- 13 -RSB- , her almost inconceivable beauty and accomplishments have only added to my calamity : nay , they are the very root of it , and the essence of its sting . For all has come to pass , exactly as that testy old _ rishi _ said . For though she is , as thou seest , beautiful as the moon , and like it , full of arts -LSB- 14 -RSB- , and above all , a dancer that would turn even Tumburu green with envy , all this nectar has become poison by the curse of that old ascetic , and the very perfection of her beauty has become the means of undoing us both . For about two years ago , as we were walking together at midnight , on the terrace of the palace , that forms the edge of the city wall , enjoying the cold camphor of the moon after the heat of a burning day , suddenly , out of the desert , we heard as it were the rush of wings . And as we stood and listened , there arose in the air a sound of voices , like those of a man and woman in vehement dispute . But though we could distinguish the tones , we could not understand the meaning , for the language was unknown to us . And then , after a while , those two invisible air-goers appeared all at once before our eyes , seated on the battlements , in the form of a pair of vultures -LSB- 15 -RSB- .