midnight
Just then Mariuccia came in with a bottle of wine , and we said no more about it , for Mariuccia is indiscreet . Nino thought nothing about his riches , because he was racking his brains for some good expedient whereby he might see the contessina and speak with her . He had ascertained from De Pretis that the count was not so angry as he had expected , and that Hedwig was quite satisfied with the explanations of the maestro . The day after the foregoing conversation he wrote a note to her , wherein he said that if the Contessina de Lira would deign to be awake at midnight that evening she would have a serenade from a voice she was said to admire . He had Mariuccia carry the letter to the Palazzo Cormandola . At half-past eleven , at least two hours after supper , Nino wrapped himself in my old cloak and took the guitar under his arm . Rome is not a very safe place for midnight pranks , and so I made him take a good knife in his waistbelt ; for he had confided to me where he was going .