midnight
The rain had ceased and overhead the stars were peeping from the edges of feathery flying clouds ; and all the sodden autumn night was still at last , save for the gurgling waters of a little stream down the rocky glen . The Sunrise bell was striking eleven when they reached the bridge across the Walnut , and the beacon light from the dome began to twinkle a welcome now and then through the dripping branches of the leafless trees . A few minutes later , Victor Burleigh brought Elinor safely to Lloyd Fenneben 's door . `` We made it in before midnight , anyhow , '' he said carelessly . Elinor looked up in surprise . The terrors of the night still possessed her . `` What a horrible nightmare it has all been .