midnight
`` Seven ! '' answered the man 's voice . Then the outer door opened , all went in , the doors closed and were locked , the footsteps in the hall died away , and the friends heard no more . Very gingerly , as if some depredation on personal property had lately been committed , the two volunteer midnight guardians of the public weal climbed again over the area railings , after all had been still for a moment . Not a word passed between them . Harding stepped softly up the stone steps to the door and noted the number on it , then down again , as if he was treading on eggs . Leslie counted the number of houses from the corner , with steps not more sonorous , and looked around to see whether they could possibly not have been watched by a policeman , when getting into and out of the area , because they did _ not _ intend to steal .