midnight
When we greeted them wondering , she said briefly that it was arranged thus because she refused to expose us to more insults . She added that a festival had begun which would last for a week , and that she did not wish us to see how vile were the ways of her people . That evening and many others which followed it -- we never dined in the central hall again -- passed pleasantly enough , for the Khania made Leo tell her of England where he was born , and of the lands that he had visited , their peoples and customs . I spoke also of the history of Alexander , whose general Rassen , her far-off forefather , conquered the country of Kaloon , and of the land of Egypt , whence the latter came , and so it went on till midnight , while Atene listened to us greedily , her eyes fixed always on Leo 's face . Many such nights did we spend thus in the palace of the city of Kaloon where , in fact , we were close prisoners . But oh ! the days hung heavy on our hands .