midnight
By-and-by , for a certainty , the man 's sense of duty , the principles that had ruled him so long -- and ruled more men then than now , for faith was stronger -- would assert themselves . And he would go back to the Baltic lands , the barren , snow-bitten lands of his prime , a greyer , older , more sombre man -- but not an unhappy man . Something of this he told himself as he paced up and down the gloomy chamber , while the flame of the candle crept steadily downward , and his shadow in the vault above grew taller and more grotesque . It must be midnight ; it must be two ; it must be three in the morning . The loopholes , when he stood between them and the candle , were growing grey ; the birds were beginning to chirp . Presently the sun would rise , and through the narrow windows he would see its beams flashing on the distant water . But the windows looked north-west , and many hours must pass before a ray would strike into his dungeon .