midnight
A respectable man , dressed in black , and recognized at once as the leech or doctor of the royal household , obeyed the summons , and on being questioned , stated that he had examined the body the very moment it had been conveyed to the castle , in the hope of discovering some signs of animation , however faint . But life was totally extinct , and , according to his judgment , had been so at the very least three hours . '' `` And what hour was this ? '' `` Just half-an-hour after midnight . '' A brief silence followed the leech 's dismissal ; Ferdinand still seemed perplexed and uneasy , and not one countenance , either of the nobles or Associated Brethren , evinced satisfaction . `` Our task , instead of decreasing in difficulty , becomes more and more complicated , my lords and brethren , '' observed the Sub-Prior , after waiting for the chief of the Santa Hermandad to speak . `` Had we any positive proof , that Senor Stanley really slept from the hour of sunset till eleven the same evening , and never quitted his quarters until then , we might hope that the sentence of Curador Benedicto , as to the length of time life had been extinct in his supposed victim , might weigh strongly against the circumstantial chain of evidence brought against him .