midnight
He showed her over the workings , explaining the many things that were strange to her . Not only was he in himself a fascinating figure to any woman , but wherever he went men regarded him deferentially , and nothing affects a woman 's judgment more promptly than this obvious sign of power . He spent the evening with her , talking of his early days and the things he had done in the West , his story matching the picturesqueness of her canvas-walled quarters with their rough furnishings of skins and blankets . Being a keen observer as well as a finished raconteur , he had woven a spell of words about the girl , leaving her in a state of tumult and indecision when at last , towards midnight , he retired to his own tent . She knew to what end all this was working , and yet knew not what her answer would be when the question came which lay behind it all . At moments she felt the wonderful attraction of the man , and still there was some distrust of him which she could not fathom . Again her thoughts reverted to Glenister , the impetuous , and she compared the two , so similar in some ways , so utterly opposed in others .