midnight
On the very next day he leaves the house -- no more shall the mistrustful baronet , who is `` hiding something from him , '' see his face . He carries with him a small parcel . Let me tell you what was in that parcel : it contained the baronet 's fur cap , one of his `` brown gowns , '' and a snow-white beard and wig . Of the cap we can be sure ; for from the fact that , on leaving his room at midnight to follow the Persian through the _ house _ , he put it on his head , I gather that he wore it habitually during all his waking hours ; yet after Ul-Jabal has left him he wanders _ far and wide _ `` with uncovered head . '' Can you not picture the distracted old man seeking ever and anon with absent mind for his long-accustomed head-gear , and seeking in vain ? Of the gown , too , we may be equally certain : for it was the procuring of this that led Ul-Jabal to the baronet 's trunk ; we now know that he did not go there to _ hide _ the stone , for he had it not to hide ; nor to _ seek _ it , for he would be unable to believe the baronet childish enough to deposit it in so obvious a place . As for the wig and beard , they had been previously seen in his room .