midnight
Now it happened that early on that same morning Hugh Henfrey stepped from a train which had brought him from Aix-la-Chapelle to the Gare du Nord , in Brussels . He had spent three weeks with the Raveccas , in Genoa , whence he had travelled to Milan and Bale , and on into Belgium by way of Germany . From Lisette he had failed to elicit any further facts concerning his father 's death , though it was apparent that she knew something about it -- something she dared not tell . On the day following their midnight stroll , he had done all in his power to induce her to reveal something at least of the affair , but , alas ! to no avail . Then , two days later , she had suddenly left -- at orders of The Sparrow , she said . Before Hugh left Ravecca had given him eighty pounds in English notes , saying that he acted at Il Passero 's orders , for Hugh would no doubt need the money , and it would be most dangerous for him to write to his bankers .