midnight
But the breathing did not cease , and the eyes did not open again ; on the contrary , at the end of half an hour Lamberti was almost sure that the lids were more tightly closed than before , and that the breath came and went with a fuller sound . In ten minutes more he was sure that the sick man was peacefully sleeping , and not likely to die that night . He turned away with a deep sigh of relief . The doctor came soon after midnight . He would not disturb Guido ; he looked at him a long time and listened to his breathing , and nodded with evident satisfaction . `` You may begin to hope now , '' he said quietly to Lamberti , not even whispering , for he knew how deep such sleep was sure to be . `` He may not wake before to-morrow afternoon .