midnight
Behind his newspaper he reflected . It was his feverish curiosity that made him admit that Caffie 's death would be discovered during the evening . In reality , it might easily remain undiscovered until the next day . But he could not stay in the cafe until the next day , nor even until midnight . Perhaps he had remained there too long already . He did not wish to go yet , so he ordered writing materials , and paid the waiter , in case he might wish to go hastily -- if anything occurred . What should he write ?