midnight
He saw when Molly wanted the hot water , and was invariably the first to detect an empty cup . He laughed softly at Signor Bruno 's stories , and occasionally capped them with a better , related in a conciser and equally humorous manner . It was to him that Farrar turned for an encouraging acquiescence when one of his latest Newmarket anecdotes threatened to fall flat , and with it all he found time for an occasional spar with Signor Bruno , just by way of keeping that inquiring gentleman upon his guard . As Christian walked rapidly across the uneven turf towards the sea at midnight , his thoughts were divided between a schoolboy delight in the adventurous nature of his expedition and an uncomfortable sensation of surreptitiousness . He was not accustomed to this sort of work , and felt remarkably like a thief . If by some mischance his absence was discovered at the Hall , it would be difficult to account for it unless he played the part of a temporary lunatic . Fortunately his window communicated easily enough with the garden by means of a few stone steps , but visitors are not usually in the habit of leaving their bedrooms in order to take the air at midnight .