midnight
Later still , I went to Mr. Franklin in the smoking-room , with the soda water and brandy , and found that Miss Rachel had put the Diamond clean out of his head . `` She 's the most charming girl I have seen since I came back to England ! '' was all I could extract from him , when I endeavoured to lead the conversation to more serious things . Towards midnight , I went round the house to lock up , accompanied by my second in command -LRB- Samuel , the footman -RRB- , as usual . When all the doors were made fast , except the side door that opened on the terrace , I sent Samuel to bed , and stepped out for a breath of fresh air before I too went to bed in my turn . The night was still and close , and the moon was at the full in the heavens . It was so silent out of doors , that I heard from time to time , very faint and low , the fall of the sea , as the ground-swell heaved it in on the sand-bank near the mouth of our little bay .