midnight
A great city it seemed to Gladys , with miles and miles of streets ; tall , heavy houses set in monotonous rows , but no green thing -- nothing to remind her of heaven but the stars . She had the soul of the poet-artist , therefore her destiny was doubly hard . But the time came when she recognised its uses , and thanked God for it all , even for its moments of despair , its bitterest tears , because through it alone she touched the great suffering heart of humanity which beats in the dark places of the earth . In the streets after midnight there is always life -- the life which dare not show itself by day , because it stalks in the image of sin . Gladys was surprised , as they slowly wended their way along a wide and handsome thoroughfare , past the closed windows of great shops , to meet many ladies finely dressed , some of them beautiful , with a strange , wild beauty , which half-fascinated , half-terrified her . ` Who are these ladies , Uncle Abel ? ' she asked at length .