ten
o'clock in the morning
Below , the water splashed against the wheel ; but it was silent . -LSB- 1 -RSB- St. John 's day . The stage of the Opera House was crowded with the chorus . It was ten o'clock in the morning , but the day was rainy and the light that came from the windows at the back of the proscenium was feeble and dim , and the House itself was quite dark . The seats stretched out bare and ghostly , row after row ; and beyond a dark cavern seemed yawning , mysterious and empty , the sound of the voices echoing and resounding through spaces of silence . In the centre of the stage stood the Conductor , mounted on a small platform with his desk before him ; and around him were the chorus , huddled and watchful as sheep about a shepherd . He was tapping the desk with his baton and calling out to them , and the voices had ceased .