midnight
Everything was hushed around , save the monotones of the insects in the fields , and the breathing of those that slept . If there is an hour when the soul is lifted above earth and communes with holy things , it is in the stillness of the country night , when the solitary watcher sits beside the pillow of a loved one , waiting the coming of the dark angel , whose footsteps are at the threshold . Harold sat gazing silently at the face of the invalid ; sometimes a feeble smile would struggle with the lines of suffering upon the pinched and haggard lineaments , and once from the white lips came the murmur of a name , so low that only the solemn stillness made the sound palpable -- the name of Oriana . Toward midnight , Arthur 's breathing became more difficult and painful , and his features changed so rapidly that Harold became fearful that the end was come . With a sigh , he stepped softly to the sofa , and wakened Mrs. Wayne , taking her gently by the hand which trembled in his grasp . She knew that she was awakened to a terrible sorrow -- that she was about to bid farewell to the joy of her old age . Arthur opened his eyes , but the weeping mother turned from them ; she could not bear to meet them , for already the glassy film was veiling the azure depths whose light had been so often turned to her in tenderness .