midnight
She had a vague recollection of having once heard Blanche say that her cousin Brian of the Abbey was like Sir Tristram 's portrait ; but this must have been a misapprehension upon her part , since no two faces could have differed more than the pale delicate-featured countenance of the living man and the dark rugged face in the picture . She quieted the trouble of her thoughts as well as she could before tea was over and the evening task of preparation , -- the gulfs and straits , the predicates and noun sentences , rule of three , common denominators , and all the dry-as-dust machinery was set in motion again . Helping her pupils through their difficulties , battling with their stupidities , employed her too closely for any day-dreams of her own . But when prayers had been read , and the school had dispersed , and the butterfly-room was hushed into the silence of midnight , Ida Palliser lay broad awake , wondering at what Fate was doing for her . ` To think that perhaps I am going to be rich after all -- honoured , looked up to , able to help those I love , ' she thought , thrilling at the splendour of her visions . Ah ! if this thing were verily to come to pass , how kind , how good she would be to others !