midnight
Remembrance frequently gave her his parting look and the tones of his voice , when he had bade her a last farewell ; and , some accidental associations now recalling these circumstances to her fancy , with peculiar energy , she shed bitter tears to the recollection . Having reached the watch-tower , she seated herself on the broken steps , and , in melancholy dejection , watched the waves , half hid in vapour , as they came rolling towards the shore , and threw up their light spray round the rocks below . Their hollow murmur and the obscuring mists , that came in wreaths up the cliffs , gave a solemnity to the scene , which was in harmony with the temper of her mind , and she sat , given up to the remembrance of past times , till this became too painful , and she abruptly quitted the place . On passing the little gate of the watch-tower , she observed letters , engraved on the stone postern , which she paused to examine , and , though they appeared to have been rudely cut with a pen-knife , the characters were familiar to her ; at length , recognising the hand-writing of Valancourt , she read , with trembling anxiety the following lines , entitled SHIPWRECK 'Til solemn midnight ! On this lonely steep , Beneath this watch-tow ' r 's desolated wall , Where mystic shapes the wonderer appall , I rest ; and view below the desert deep , As through tempestuous clouds the moon 's cold light Gleams on the wave . Viewless , the winds of night With loud mysterious force the billows sweep , And sullen roar the surges , far below . In the still pauses of the gust I hear The voice of spirits , rising sweet and slow , And oft among the clouds their forms appear .