midnight
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 . I tried to dissuade him from the plan , saying he might catch cold ; but he laughed at me . A serenade is an everyday affair , and in the street one voice sounds about as well as another . He reached the palace , and his heart sank when he saw Hedwig 's window dark and gloomy .