midnight
Ashes or no ashes , all was for the best . Calmly she waited . Out of doors , meanwhile , the shower went on without ceasing . It had begun shortly after midnight ; the ground was covered to the depth of two inches . Nepenthe lay veiled in Cimmerian gloom , darker than starless midnight -- a darkness that could be felt ; a blanket , as it were , hot and breathless , weighing upon the landscape . All was silent . No footfall could be heard in the streets ; the powdery ashes , softer than snow , absorbed every sound .