midnight
`` They were an hallucination , then : that was plain . But the fact that they were not due to any external dupery did n't make them a bit pleasanter to see . For if they were a projection of my inner consciousness , what the deuce was the matter with that organ ? I had gone deeply enough into the mystery of morbid pathological states to picture the conditions under which an exploring mind might lay itself open to such a midnight admonition ; but I could n't fit it to my present case . I had never felt more normal , mentally and physically ; and the only unusual fact in my situation -- that of having assured the happiness of an amiable girl -- did not seem of a kind to summon unclean spirits about my pillow . But there were the eyes still looking at me ... `` I shut mine , and tried to evoke a vision of Alice Nowell 's . They were not remarkable eyes , but they were as wholesome as fresh water , and if she had had more imagination -- or longer lashes -- their expression might have been interesting .