It is past midnight before I feel that I am alone.

Seated in my stiff little chair before my narrow table, I gather in the night sounds through the open window, curious to assort and define them.

As, little by little, the city settles down to sleep, the volume of sound diminishes, and the qualities of particular sounds stand out.

The electric car lurches by with silent gong, taking the empty track by leaps, humming to itself in the invisible distance.

A benighted team swings recklessly around the corner, sharp under my rattling window panes, the staccato pelting of hoofs on the cobblestones changed suddenly to an even pounding on the bridge.