Midnight
Your fever is rising . Do n't talk any more to - night ; I will not hear you . '' An hour after Clara slept soundly , and Beulah sat in her own room bending over a book . Midnight study had long since become an habitual thing ; nay , two and three o'clock frequently found her beside the waning lamp . Was it any marvel that , as Dr. Hartwell expressed it , she `` looked wretched . '' From her earliest childhood she had been possessed by an active spirit of inquiry which constantly impelled her to investigate , and as far as possible to explain , the mysteries which surrounded , her on every side . With her growth grew this haunting spirit , which asked continually : `` What am I ?