midnight
A few days served to restore him to his strength ; and then , anxious to dismiss my visitor , whose conduct had already excited suspicions of his good faith , I gave him warning that he must depart ; at the same time placing in his hand a sufficient amount of gold to insure his support until he could reach the mines which were his professed destination . `` He appeared dissatisfied , and begged permission to remain until the next morning , as the night was near , and he had no shelter provided . To this I made no objection , little imagining how base a serpent I was harbouring . At midnight I was awakened from my light and easily-disturbed sleep to find my lodger busily engaged in rifling my property and preparing to take an unceremonious leave of my dwelling . Nor did his villainy end here . Upon my seizing and charging him with the theft , he snatched a weapon and attempted the life of his benefactor . But I was prepared to ward off the stroke , and succeeded in a few moments in subduing my desperate antagonist .