midnight
Her chief thought was of Darby . Deserter as he was , and dead to her , he was a man , and could advise her , help her . She tore through the woods the nearest way , unheeding the branches which caught and tore her clothes ; the stream , even where she struck it , was out of its banks ; but she did not heed it -- she waded through , it reaching about to her waist , and struck out again at the top of her speed . It must have been a little before midnight when she emerged from the pines in front of the Stanley cabin . The latch-string was out , and she knocked and pushed open the door almost simultaneously . All she could make out to say was , `` Darby . '' The old woman was on her feet , and the young man was sitting up in the bed , by the time she entered .