midnight
And so it went on till they lost sight of him in the fogs of Newfoundland , and supposed he had veered ship and stood for Dead Man 's Isle . So much for burying a man at sea without saying prayers over him . '' The thunder-gust which had hitherto detained the company was now at an end . The cuckoo clock in the hall struck midnight ; every one pressed to depart , for seldom was such a late hour trespassed on by these quiet burghers . As they sallied forth they found the heavens once more serene . The storm which had lately obscured them had rolled aways and lay piled up in fleecy masses on the horizon , lighted up by the bright crescent of the moon , which looked like a silver lamp hung up in a palace of clouds . The dismal occurrence of the night , and the dismal narrations they had made , had left a superstitious feeling in every mind .