midnight
O grave , where is thy victory ? '' O best and only consolation , the hope and belief in the final triumph of justice , the certainty of immortal life through Jesus Christ the Saviour ! Cruel indeed is he who would rob man of the chief brightness and glory of life ! Towards midnight the Count of Nideck seemed almost gone ; the agony of death was at hand ; the broken , weakened pulse indicated the sinking of the vital powers ; then , it might return to a more active state ; but there seemed no hope . My only duty left was to stay and see this unhappy man die . I was exhausted with fatigue and anxiety ; whatever art could do I had tried . I told Sperver to sit up , and close his master 's eyes in death .