midnight
Return , dearest , to the cabin . '' With reluctance Flora obeyed . Beside him she felt neither the cold nor wet ; and , with the greatest repugnance , she re-entered the ladies ' cabin , and , retiring to her berth , enjoyed for several hours a tranquil and refreshing sleep . It was midnight when Mrs. Lyndsay awoke . A profound stillness reigned in the cabin ; the invalids had forgotten their sufferings in sleep , -- all but one female figure , who was seated upon the carpeted floor , just in front of Flora 's berth , wrapped in a loose dressing-gown , and engaged in reading a letter . Flora instantly recognised in the watcher the tall , graceful figure of Mrs. Dalton . Her mind seemed agitated by some painful recollections ; and she sighed frequently , and several tears stole slowly over her cheeks , as she replaced the paper carefully in her bosom , and for many minutes appeared lost in deep and earnest thought .