midnight
As Agathe listened to the last echoes of a soul that had missed its destiny , and felt the sufferings of a heart , essentially generous and charitable , whose charity and generosity could never be exercised , she realized the immensity of the desert in which the powers of this noble , unrecognized soul had been wasted , and knew that she herself , with the little joys and interests of her city life relieving the bitter trials sent from God , was not the most unhappy of the two . `` You who are so pious , '' she said , `` explain to me my shortcomings ; tell me what it is that God is punishing in me . '' `` He is preparing us , my child , '' answered the old woman , `` for the striking of the last hour . '' At midnight the Knights of Idleness were collecting , one by one like shadows , under the trees of the boulevard Baron , and speaking together in whispers . `` What are we going to do ? '' was the first question of each as he arrived . `` I think , '' said Francois , `` that Max means merely to give us a supper . ''