midnight
You were of age seven years ago , and he allowed it to be sold for taxes every year , and has also secretly bought up all the tax titles . It is too late . But wait , keep silent , and trust to me . '' Randall Clayton and his friend heard the `` chimes at midnight '' after the disquieting disclosures . Witherspoon finally allayed Clayton 's sudden distrust . The Detroit lawyer succeeded in lamely explaining his own delay in making the fraud known . `` You see , Randall , '' he finally said at parting for the night , `` I must live my life in Detroit under the heel of these great operators .