midnight
Sadly these two poor lonely ones sat hand in hand , talking of the happy days of childhood , of the perplexing present and the uncertain future . At last , wearied out with watching and anxiety , Catharine leaned her head upon the neck of old Wolfe and fell asleep , while Louis restlessly paced to and fro in front of the sleeper ; now straining his eyes to penetrate the surrounding gloom , now straining his ears to catch the first sound that might indicate the approach of his absent cousin . It was almost with a feeling of irritability that he heard the quick sharp note of the wakeful `` whip-poor-will , '' as it flew from bough to bough of an old withered tree beside him . Another , and again another of these midnight watchers took up the monotonous never-varying cry of `` Whip-poor-will , Whip-poor-will ; '' and then came forth , from many a hollow oak and birch , the spectral night-hawk from hidden dens , where it had lain hushed in silence all day from dawn till sunset . Sometimes their sharp hard wings almost swept his cheek as they wheeled round and round in circles , first narrow , then wide , and wider extending , till at last they soared far above the tallest tree-tops , and launching out in the high regions of the air , uttered from time to time a wild shrill scream , or hollow booming sound , as they suddenly descended to pounce with wide-extended throat upon some hapless moth or insect that sported all unheeding in mid-air , happily unconscious of the approach of so unerring a foe . Petulantly Louis chid these discordant minstrels of the night , and joyfully he hailed the first gush of moonlight that rose broad and full and red over the Oak Hills to the eastward . Louis envied the condition of the unconscious sleeper , who lay in happy forgetfulness of all her sorrows , her fair curls spread in unbound luxuriance over the dark shaggy neck of the faithful Wolfe , who seemed as if proud of the beloved burden that rested so trustingly upon him .