midnight
You 're not going to hire extra help , so you might just as well get any to-do out of your mind , '' he retorted , the dreaded note in his voice . She considered leaving him . If she had earned her living before , she could again . More than once she had thought of doing this , but always the hope of a child had shone like a tiny bright star through the midnight of her trials . Since she had endured so much , why not endure a little longer and reap a dear reward ? Then , too , she could never quite bring herself to face the pictures her imagination conjured of Martin , struggling along uncared for . Now , as her heart hardened against him , an inner voice whispered that everyone had a right to a father as well as a mother , and Martin might be greatly softened by daily contact with a little son or daughter .