midnight
The silence that lay over the barnyard lasted until the woman felt she could speak without a break in her voice . `` I 'm not going very far , Jim , '' she said , laughing nervously . `` This is Mr. Hugh McVey and we 're going over to the county seat to get married . We 'll be back home before midnight . You put a candle in the window for us . '' Hitting the horse a sharp blow , Clara drove quickly past the house and into the road . She turned south into the hill country through which lay the road to the county seat .