midnight
* * * Besides the riding-whip with its silver-gilt handle , Rodolphe had received a seal with the motto _ Amor nel cor _ ; furthermore , a scarf for a muffler , and , finally , a cigar-case exactly like the Viscount 's , that Charles had formerly picked up in the road , and that Emma had kept . These presents , however , humiliated him ; he refused several ; she insisted , and he ended by obeying , thinking her tyrannical and over-exacting . Then she had strange ideas . `` When midnight strikes , '' she said , `` you must think of me . '' And if he confessed that he had not thought of her , there were floods of reproaches that always ended with the eternal question : `` Do you love me ? '' `` Why , of course I love you , '' he answered . `` A great deal ? ''