midnight
As he spoke , he took from his coat pocket on the bedpost an envelope containing his commission and other papers . It was safe ; so were his purse and watch . The mystery was not solved till Christy embarked for the Gulf . Lieutenant Christopher Passford , in his two years ' experience in the navy , had been under the fire of the enemy too many times to be intimidated by a burglar , and he felt a certain contempt for the midnight marauder , who had entered the mansion and disturbed his restful slumbers . He returned to his bed , therefore , and slept like a marine till the call bell woke him in the morning . As he dressed himself he could not help thinking of the mysterious visitation , and he asked himself a great many questions in regard to the object of the intruder , since it did not appear that he had entered the house for the purpose of robbing its occupants . He could not determine whether or not the fellow had actually come into his room ; but his porte-monnaie , which contained a considerable sum of money , and his gold repeater , a very valuable watch , were just where he had left them the night before .