midnight
There was the worst to face , with the inquest , the examination , and the possibility of the wrong construction still being placed upon his acts . Everything had gone against him , everything would continue to go against him , and he told himself that it was impossible to face it . His word seemed to go for nothing ; and , yielding to the horror of his position , he sat there in the darkest part of his room , wishing earnestly that he could exchange places with the unhappy lad lying yonder between life and death . Suddenly he started , for , sounding solemn and strange in the midnight air , the bell of the Cathedral boomed out the hour , the long-drawn strokes of the hammer seeming as if they would never come to an end ; while , when the last stroke fell , it was succeeded in the silence of the night by a dull , quivering vibration that slowly died away . And there , with overstrained nerves , Richard Frayne sat , waiting still for the coming of the news . He must have that , he told himself , before he could act ; but still it did not come . Twice over he went to the door , with the intention of opening it to listen , but he shrank away .