midnight
His lips moved to speak a text , the native instinct strong therefor . They had meant to say `` the night cometh '' ; but some one interfered and he said to himself : `` The night is far spent -- the day is at hand , '' for , after all , the setting sun has morning in its heart . He dismissed the cab , and entering the hotel , made some enquiry about the trains for the North . He could not start North before midnight . The evening was fine , and he walked out . St. George 's Hall arrested him with its elaborate grandeur . What beauty , what chastity , what becoming signs of civic wealth !