two o'clock in
the morning
His hands , during this silence , closed and opened convulsively ; his eyes shot out two or three baleful glances , first to his confederates , and afterwards vacantly into the deep gloom of the lower part of the chapel ; his teeth ground against each other , like those of a man whose revenge burns to reach a distant enemy , and finally , after having wound himself up to a certain determination , his features relapsed into their original calm and undisturbed expression . At this moment a loud laugh , having something supernatural in it , rang out wildly from the darkness of the chapel ; he stopped , and putting his open hand over his brows , peered down into the gloom , and said calmly in Irish , `` _ Bee dhu husth ; ha nih anam inh _ : -- hold your tongue , it is not yet time . '' Every eye was now directed to the same spot , but , in consequence of its distance from the dim light on the altar , none could perceive the person from whom the laugh proceeded . It was , by this time , near two o'clock in the morning . He now stood for a few moments on the platform , and his chest heaved with a depth of anxiety equal to the difficulty of the design he wished to accomplish . `` Brothers , '' said he -- `` for we are all brothers -- sworn upon all that 's blessed an ' holy , to obey whatever them that 's over us , manin ' among ourselves , wishes us to do -- are you now ready , in the name of God , upon whose althar I stand , to fulfil yer oaths ? '' The words were scarcely uttered , when those who had stood beside the altar during the night , sprang from their places , and descending its steps rapidly turned round , and raising their arms , exclaimed , `` By all that 's good an ' holy we 're willin ' . ''