midnight
it 's invasion , an unheard-of thing ! '' `` It 's the most desperate truth , unheard-of or no . The whole thing lies in our hands . They can not come till after midnight , and by that time Thwaite may be ready in Bardur , and the Khautmi men may be holding the road . That would delay them for a little , and by the time they took Bardur they might find the south in arms . It would n't matter a straw if it were an ordinary filibustering business . But I tell you it 's a great army , and everything is prepared for it .