midnight
Vaguely , I heard ; -- `` They have the man Ismail , but ... '' A hollow crash drowned the end of the sentence . A shower of sparks shot up into the night 's darkness high above our heads . `` That 's the platform gone ! '' One night early in the following week I sat at work upon my notes dealing with our almost miraculous escape from the blazing hashish house when the clock of St. Paul 's began to strike midnight . I paused in my work , leaning back wearily and wondering what detained Nayland Smith so late . Some friends from Burma had carried him off to a theater , and in their good company I had thought him safe enough ; yet , with the omnipresent menace of Fu-Manchu hanging over our heads , always I doubted , always I feared , if my friend should chance to be delayed abroad at night . What a world of unreality was mine , in those days !