nearly midnight
Now and then the wind shook the cabin , but he heeded it not . He had no fears for its safety ; it presented its low gable to the full fury of the wind that year by year had piled , and even now was piling , protecting buttresses of sand against it . With each succeeding gust it seemed to nestle more closely to its foundations , in the whirl of flying sand that rattled against its roof and windows . It was nearly midnight when a sudden thought brought him to his feet . What if SHE were exposed to the fury of such a night as this ? What could he do to help her ? Perhaps even now , as he sat there idle , she -- Hark !