midnight
The truth kept wrenching his soul , and his feet blindly kept trying to find a path to peace . It was late one night in August , and a dead moon was hanging in the south , when , treading the terrace before his house , he saw a shadow moving down the stairway in the hall . At first his racked nerves quivered , but when he found that it was his mother , he went to meet her , exclaiming as he mounted the steps to the veranda , `` Why , mother , what is it -- is anything wrong ? '' Though it was past midnight , Mary Barclay was dressed for the day . She stood in the doorway with the dimmed light behind her , a tall , strong woman , straight and gaunt as a Nemesis . `` No , John -- nothing is wrong -- in the house . '' She walked into the veranda and began as she approached a chair , `` Sit down , John ; I wish to talk with you . ''