ten in the evening
Then , struck with a mortal chill , the heart , as if impaired by oblivion , seeks to escape into a new birth ; it demands life of that which environs it , it eagerly drinks in the air ; but it finds round about only its own chimeras , which have exhausted its failing powers and which , self-created , surround it like pitiless spectres . This could not last long . Tired of uncertainty , I resolved to resort to a test that would discover the truth . I ordered post-horses for ten in the evening . We had hired a caleche and I gave directions that all should be ready at the hour indicated . At the same time I asked that nothing be said to Madame Pierson . Smith came to dinner ; at the table I affected unusual cheerfulness , and without a word about my plans , I turned the conversation to our journey .