two A.M.
I was on the point of telling him what I had seen myself , two evenings before , but for some reason I refrained from doing so , although I think had I confided in him he would have abandoned the idea that what he had seen was phantasmal ; for the pair of us could not very well have been dreaming . Some malignant presence haunted the ship ; I could not doubt this ; yet I remained passive , sunk in a lethargy of sorrow . We were scheduled to reach Port Said at about eight o'clock in the evening , but by reason of the delay occasioned so tragically , I learned that in all probability we should not arrive earlier than midnight , whilst passengers would not go ashore until the following morning . Karamaneh who had been staring ahead all day , seeking a first glimpse of her native land , was determined to remain up until the hour of our arrival , but after dinner a notice was posted up that we should not be in before two A.M. Even those passengers who were the most enthusiastic thereupon determined to postpone , for a few hours , their first glimpse of the land of the Pharaohs and even to forego the sight -- one of the strangest and most interesting in the world -- of Port Said by night . For my own part , I confess that all the interest and hope with which I had looked forward to our arrival , had left me , and often I detected tears in the eyes of Karamaneh whereby I knew that the coldness in my heart had manifested itself even to her . I had sustained the greatest blow of my life , and not even the presence of so lovely a companion could entirely recompense me for the loss of my dearest friend . The lights on the Egyptian shore were faintly visible when the last group of stragglers on deck broke up .