nearly midnight
His brain was too busy , a sign he was secretly pleased at . He felt that during the last two days he had more than proved his ability in emergency . So , lying awake , waiting patiently for sleep to come , he rather felt like a general in action , perfectly assured of his own capacity to meet every situation successfully . It was nearly midnight when he finally dropped off into a light and rather disturbed slumber . How long he had slept , or even if he really had slept at all , he was never quite sure , for , quite suddenly , he was aroused , and wide awake , by the sound of his own name being called in the darkness . `` Bill ! Bill ! ''