midnight
He looked again at the face , and , to his excited imagination , it appeared to have assumed a sardonic smile . The curse of Cain fell upon him as he looked , and weighed him down ; his hair rose , and the cold sweat poured from his forehead . At length he could bear it no longer , but , turning , fled out of the room and out of the house , far into the night . When , haggard with mental and bodily exhaustion , he at length returned , it was after midnight . He found Dr. Caley waiting for him ; he had just come from the sick-room and wore an anxious look upon his face . `` Your wife has been delivered of a fine girl , '' he said ; `` but I am bound to tell you that her condition is far from satisfactory . The case is a most complicated and dangerous one . ''