midnight
It was probably Derek ; and yet there was a possibility that , the automobile having broken down , Reggie and Dorothea had been obliged to finish their journey in a humbler way than that in which they had started . Diane hurried to the terrace . The moon had disappeared , but the stars were out , and the night had grown colder . The pines surrounding the hotel shot up weirdly against the midnight sky , soughing with a low murmur , like the moan of primeval nature . Up the ascent from the main road the carriage crept wearily , while Diane 's heart poured itself out in a sort of incoherent prayer that Dorothea might have arrived before her father . The horses dragged themselves to the steps , and Derek Pruyn sprang out . Instinctively Diane fell back .