midnight
He saw his brother standing there , easy , calm , indifferent , a splendid figure of a man . To Will Law , as he turned away from the prison gate upon the errand assigned to him , the vast and shapeless shadows of the night-covered city took the form of appalling monsters , relentless , remorseless , savage of purpose . He passed , as one in some hideous dream , along streets that wound and wound until his brain lost distance and direction . It might have been an hour , two hours , and the clock might have registered after midnight , when at last he discovered himself in front of the dark gray mass of stone which the chairmen assured him was his destination . It was with trepidation that he stepped to the half-lighted door and fumbled for the knocker . The door slowly swung open , and he was confronted by the portly presence of a lackey who stood in silence waiting for his word . `` A message for Lady Catharine Knollys , '' said Will , with what courage he could summon . ''