midnight
Pretty Pierre 's eyes were never taken off the other , whose gaze , again , was fixed upon the bottle with a terrible fascination . An hour , two hours , passed . The fire burned lower . It was midnight ; and now the watch no longer ticked ; it had fulfilled its day 's work . The missionary shuddered slightly at this . He looked up to see the resolute gloom of the half-breed 's eyes , and that sneering smile , fixed upon him still . Then he turned once more to the bottle ... .