midnight
But our heroine had no such work to do . She was very much admired and could thoroughly enjoy the admiration . She had no task to perform . She was not carrying out her profession by midnight labours . Who shall say whether now and again a soft impalpable regret , -- a regret not recognised as such , -- may not have stolen across her mind , telling her that if she had seen all this before she was married instead of afterwards , she might have found a brighter lot for herself ? If it were so , the only enduring effect of such a feeling was a renewal of that oft-made resolution that she would be in love with her husband . The ladies whom she knew had generally their carriages and riding horses .