midnight
Those sweet blue eyes , swimming in tears , were ever before me ; the repeated strokes of the hard ferule kept sounding in my ears . At length , unable to endure it longer I left my bed , and sat down by the window . The noble elms stood peacefully in the moonlight , the penciled shadow of their spreading branches lying tremulously on the ground . `` The white fence , the graveled walks , the perfect quietness in which everything was wrapped , seemed to mock my restlessness , while the solemn midnight sky filled me with a sense of awe which I never felt before . Ah ! Bessie , God was displeased with me , my conscience was burdened and uneasy , and I was wretched . `` As I turned from the window , my eyes rested on the snow-white coverlet of my little bed , a birthday gift from my mother .