midnight
Of what it signified he had no idea , beyond the knowledge he already possessed -- that the hours were running out , and that midnight would see a decisive event which , though it must mean ultimately the ruin of every person present , might , for all that , change the line of the world 's development . A protest so desperate as this could not but have a tremendous effect upon human sentiment . He had caught a glimpse an hour before , as he whirled through the streets , far up against the luminous slay westwards , of a string of floating specks , which he knew to be the guard-boats , strung out now , night and day , in a vast circle round the city . At midnight they would surely move ... . Dark had already fallen outside , but the hall was as light as day with the hidden electric burners above the cornices , and he could see not only the faces , but the very expressions that characterized them . One thing at least was common to them all -- a silent , fierce excitement ... . It would be about ten minutes before the priest 's turn came to face the Council .