midnight
She treated him as a son , and could not have been more affected had she been saying good-bye to Naoum himself . George , on his part , was deeply touched by her solicitous care of him , but words did not come easily ; yet his farewell lost nothing of its sincerity in the silence that accompanied it . At last it was over , and he was left to himself for the few remaining hours before his departure . It yet wanted at least a couple of hours to midnight . George had stretched himself out upon his couch , taking all the rest he could to prepare himself for his journey . He was buried in deep thought , and not a sound broke the stillness of the room ; so profound was the silence that he gradually began to feel drowsy , and every now and then he found his eyelids closing involuntarily . He fought against this sleepiness for some time , but at last he fell into a light slumber .