midnight
`` Because I thought you ought to know about it before you -- Besides , if he _ had _ , we should have had to wait a bit before we told him . '' It seemed that there was nothing to prevent them marrying to-morrow if they liked . The strike , Anthony said , could n't hit him as badly as all that . He and Frances sat up till long past midnight , talking about their plans , and the children 's plans . It was all settled . The first week in August they would go down to Morfe for the shooting . They would stay there till the first week in September .