midnight
M. de Montsoreau breathed hard . `` And why , '' he asked , half sulkily and half ponderously , `` after midnight only , M. le Comte ? '' `` Merely that I may be clear of all suspicion of having lot or part in the matter , '' Count Hannibal answered pleasantly . `` After midnight of to-night by all means do as you please . Until midnight , by your leave , we will be quiet . '' The Lieutenant-Governor moved doubtfully in his chair , the fear -- which Tavannes had shrewdly instilled into his mind -- that he might be disowned if he carried out his instructions , struggling with his avarice and his self-importance . He was rather crafty than bold ; and such things had been , he knew .