midnight
But when she was half-way across a sudden burst of laughter from the dining-room brought her to a stop with her hand upon her heart and a little sob not altogether stifled in her throat . It meant so much to her that the desperate adventure of this night should be carried through ! If all went well , as it must -- oh , as it surely must ! -- by midnight she would be free of her terrors and distress . The laughter in the dining room died down . Joan stole forward again . She drew away the heavy curtains from the long window , and the moonlight , clear and bright like silver , poured into the room and clothed her in its soft radiance .