midnight
Maria rises from her seat , intending to follow the stranger , but she is out of sight . Who can this mysterious messenger , this beautiful stranger be ? Maria muses . A thought flashes across her mind ; it is she who sought our house at midnight , when my father revealed her dark future ! `` Yes , '' she says to herself , `` it is the same lovely face ; how oft it has flitted in my fancy ! '' She reaches her home only to find its doors closed against her . A ruthless landlord has taken her all , and forced her into the street .