midnight
And so , when the gate was closed at last , we turned away grieved , and more disappointed than we cared to admit , either in speech or thought . The streets were surging tides of excited men . It was difficult to make one 's way . Toward midnight our aimless tramp brought us to the neighborhood of the beautiful church of St. Ouen , and there all was bustle and work . The square was a wilderness of torches and people ; and through a guarded passage dividing the pack , laborers were carrying planks and timbers and disappearing with them through the gate of the churchyard . We asked what was going forward ; the answer was : `` Scaffolds and the stake . Do n't you know that the French witch is to be burned in the morning ? ''