About midnight
` I heard of the -- of what has happened -- about four in the morning , and I instantly knocked in the stakes -- hard work with the frozen ground -- and drew the rope along , to isolate the snow about the house . When I had done that , I searched the snow for footmarks . ' ` When had the snow begun to fall ? ' ` About midnight . I turned out then to look at the night before going to bed . ' ` And there was nothing wrong then ? ' ` He lay on his bed in the laird 's chamber .