midnight
She had got home by this time ; but had she done so unobserved ? Otherwise , it was more than probable that he should find two Cornish giants waiting , if not `` to grind his bones to make their bread , '' at least to break them with their cudgels . In their eyes he would seem to have been guilty of a deliberate seduction , the one of his daughter , the other of his destined bride . Yet , not to return to Gethin in such a case would be worse than cowardice , since his absence would be sure to be associated with Harry 's midnight expedition . He had hitherto only despised this Trevethick and his friend , but now , since he feared them , he began to hate them . Bodily discomfort combined with his mental disquietude . For the first time he felt the keenness of the moonlit air , and shivered in it , notwithstanding the hasty strides which he now was taking homeward .