midnight
It is important . We shall reach the glacier by five . Will you be ready ? '' And at midnight accordingly he set out by the light of a lantern . Sylvia stood outside the hotel and watched the flame diminish to a star , dance for a little while , and then go out . For her , as for all women , the bad hour had struck when there was nothing to do but to sit and watch and wait . Perhaps her husband , after all , was wrong , she said to herself , and repeated the phrase , hoping that repetition would carry conviction to her heart .