three o’clock in the morning
Her husband had been roused out of indifference by the part which she had played , and now he meant to honor her with such a passing fancy as he might bestow upon some opera nymph . It amused Julie that she , a virtuous married woman , should be treated thus . She tried to play with her power , but at the outset her kindness broke down once more , and she received the most terrible of all the lessons held in store for her by fate . Between two and three o'clock in the morning Julie sat up , sombre and moody , beside her sleeping husband , in the room dimly lighted by the flickering lamp . Deep silence prevailed . Her agony of remorse had lasted near an hour ; how bitter her tears had been none perhaps can realize save women who have known such an experience as hers . Only such natures as Julie 's can feel her loathing for a calculated caress , the horror of a loveless kiss , of the heart 's apostasy followed by dolorous prostitution .