midnight
Lady Hunter saw four people sitting at dinner , and somebody was waiting on them . She could scarcely have told what it was that surprised her ; but she exclaimed to Sir William -- `` Good heavens ! they are at dinner ! '' Sir William called out angrily to the coachman to drive faster , and asked whether he meant to keep everybody out till midnight . The Hopes were far less moved by seeing the baronet and his lady driving by , than the baronet and his lady were by seeing the Hopes dining . They had not the slightest objection to the great folks from the Hall deriving all the excitement and amusement they could from an airing through the village ; and they were happily ignorant of the most atrocious stories about Hope which were now circulating from mouth to mouth , all round Deerbrook . It was not long , however , before they found that they had been indebted to the great folks from the Hall for a certain degree of protection , partly from the equipage having drawn off the attention of some of the idlers , and partly from the people having been unwilling to indulge all their anger and impertinence in the presence of a magistrate .