midnight
But his doubts were again coming back to him ; when you need a miracle to gain belief , it means that you are incapable of believing . There is no need for the Almighty to prove His existence . Pierre also felt uneasy at the thought that , so long as he had not discharged his priestly duties by saying his mass , his prayers would not be answered . Why did he not go at once to the church of the Rosary , whose altars , from midnight till noon , are placed at the disposal of the priests who come from a distance ? Thus thinking , he descended by another path , again finding himself beneath the trees , near the leafy spot whence he and Marie had watched the procession of tapers . Not a light now remained , there was but a boundless expanse of gloom . Here Pierre experienced a fresh attack of faintness , and as though to gain time , he turned mechanically into the pilgrims ' shelter-house .