midnight
Possibly Wilfrid or Ferdinand might drive from St. Gedeon if the ice on the lake were in good condition . '' A sigh disclosed that she still was dreaming of the coming and going in the old parishes at the time of the New Year , the family dinners , the unlooked-for visits of kindred arriving by sleigh from the next village , buried under rugs and furs , behind a horse whose coat was white with frost . Maria 's thoughts were turning in another direction . `` If the roads are as bad as they were last year , '' said she , `` we shall not be able to attend the midnight mass . And yet I should so much have liked it this time , and father promised ... '' Through the little window they looked on the gray sky , and found little to cheer them . To go to midnight mass is the natural and strong desire of every French-Canadian peasant , even of those living farthest from the settlements . What do they not face to accomplish it !