about four in the morning
The ill-looking birds that gathered to the house , the strange noises that sounded from the drawing-room in the dead hours of night , the careless attendance and intemperate habits of the nurse , the entire absence of correspondence , the entire seclusion of Mr. Jones himself , whose face , up to that hour , he could not have sworn to in a court of justice -- all weighed unpleasantly upon the young man 's mind . A sense of something evil , irregular and underhand , haunted and depressed him ; and this uneasy sentiment was the more firmly rooted in his mind , when , in the fulness of time , he had an opportunity of observing the features of his tenant . It fell in this way . The young landlord was awakened about four in the morning by a noise in the hall . Leaping to his feet , and opening the door of the library , he saw the tall man , candle in hand , in earnest conversation with the gentleman who had taken the rooms . The faces of both were strongly illuminated ; and in that of his tenant , Somerset could perceive none of the marks of disease , but every sign of health , energy , and resolution . While he was still looking , the visitor took his departure ; and the invalid , having carefully fastened the front door , sprang upstairs without a trace of lassitude .