midnight
`` And what can be more worthy of man 's admiration and respectful affection ? '' I argued , as I recovered my perpendicular , coughed the snow out of my mouth and nose , and rubbed it out of my eyes ; `` what more worthy of true-hearted devotion than this -- this -- creature of -- of light ; this noble child of nature -- this _ Queen of the Wilderness _ ? '' I repeated `` This Queen of the Wilderness '' for a considerable time afterwards . It seemed to me a happy expression , and I dwelt upon it with much satisfaction as I sped along , sending the fine snow in clouds of white dust from my snow-shoes , and striding over the ground at such a pace that I reached Fort Wichikagan considerably before midnight in spite of Macnab 's prophecy . I am not naturally prone thus to lay bare the secret workings of my spirit . You will , therefore , I trust , good reader , regard the revelation of these things as a special mark of confidence . On reaching the fort I observed that a bright light streamed from the hall windows , casting a ruddy glow on the snow-heaps which had been shovelled up on each side of the footpath in front , and giving , if possible , a paler and more ghostly aspect to the surrounding scenery .