quarter past eleven
He could not sit -- he could not walk , and , somehow or another , he never once seemed to imagine that from the wine cup he should experience any relief , although , upon a side table , there stood refreshments of that character . And thus some more time passed away , and he strove to cheat it of its weariness by thinking of a variety of subjects ; but as the fates would have it , there seemed not one agreeable reminiscence in the mind of that most inexplicable man , and the more he plunged into the recesses of memory the more uneasy , not to say almost terrified , he looked and became . A shuddering nervousness came across him , and , for a few moments , he sat as if he were upon the point of fainting . By a vigorous effort , however , he shook this off , and then placing before him the watch , which now indicated about the quarter past eleven , he strove with a calmer aspect to wait the coming of him whose presence , when he did come , would really be a great terror , since the very thought beforehand produced so much hesitation and apparent dismay . In order too , if possible , then to further withdraw himself from a too painful consideration of those terrors , which in due time the reader will be acquainted with the cause of , he took up a book , and plunging at random into its contents , he amused his mind for a time with the following brief narrative : -- The wind howled round the gable ends of Bridport House in sudden and furious gusts , while the inmates sat by the fire-side , gazing in silence upon the blazing embers of the huge fire that shed a red and bright light all over the immense apartment in which they all sat . It was an ancient looking place , very large , end capable of containing a number of guests . Several were present .