midnight
said he , as he turned from the window , `` Close the casements , Pierre . '' Pierre obeyed , and the Count soon after dismissed him , but did not so soon lose the remembrance of the music , which long vibrated in his fancy in tones of melting sweetness , while surprise and perplexity engaged his thoughts . Ludovico , meanwhile , in his remote chamber , heard , now and then , the faint echo of a closing door , as the family retired to rest , and then the hall clock , at a great distance , strike twelve . `` It is midnight , '' said he , and he looked suspiciously round the spacious chamber . The fire on the hearth was now nearly expiring , for his attention having been engaged by the book before him , he had forgotten everything besides ; but he soon added fresh wood , not because he was cold , though the night was stormy , but because he was cheerless ; and , having again trimmed his lamp , he poured out a glass of wine , drew his chair nearer to the crackling blaze , tried to be deaf to the wind , that howled mournfully at the casements , endeavoured to abstract his mind from the melancholy that was stealing upon him , and again took up his book . It had been lent to him by Dorothée , who had formerly picked it up in an obscure corner of the Marquis 's library , and who , having opened it and perceived some of the marvels it related , had carefully preserved it for her own entertainment , its condition giving her some excuse for detaining it from its proper station . The damp corner into which it had fallen had caused the cover to be disfigured and mouldy , and the leaves to be so discoloured with spots , that it was not without difficulty the letters could be traced .