midnight
I have nothing to give thee in return -- only this : that I can tell thee where the Messiah must be sought . For our prophets have said that he should be born not in Jerusalem , but in Bethlehem of Judah . May the Lord bring thee in safety to that place , because thou hast had pity upon the sick . '' It was already long past midnight . Artaban rode in haste , and Vasda , restored by the brief rest , ran eagerly through the silent plain and swam the channels of the river . She put forth the remnant of her strength , and fled over the ground like a gazelle . But the first beam of the rising sun sent a long shadow before her as she entered upon the final stadium of the journey , and the eyes of Artaban , anxiously scanning the great mound of Nimrod and the Temple of the Seven Spheres , could discern no trace of his friends .