midnight
exclaimed Geraldine , running after Henry . She was adorably attired in white . * * * * * The clash of creeds was stilled in the darkened and sumptuous chamber , as the three women bent with murmurous affection over the bed on which lay , swathed in a redolent apparatus of eau-de-Cologne and fine linen , their hope and the hope of English literature . Towards midnight , when the agony had somewhat abated , Mrs. Knight and Aunt Annie reluctantly retired in a coupé which Geraldine had ordered for them by telephone . And in the early June dawn Henry awoke , refreshed and renewed , full of that languid but genuine interest in mortal things which is at once the compensation and the sole charm of a dyspepsy . By reaching out an arm he could just touch the hand of his wife as she slept in her twin couch . He touched it ; she awoke , and they exchanged the morning smile .