midnight
This was the darkest hour Hugh had ever known . The strain on his nerves , coupled with the anxiety of the previous weeks , was more than he could bear , and when , with the assistance of two men armed with authority , he searched the vessel for any trace of Dexie 's presence , and found none , his brain seemed to collapse , and the brass-buttoned officers carried him back in their boat to Halifax in a state of unconsciousness . About midnight , with a doctor in attendance , he was carefully carried to Mr. Gurney 's in a state of delirium . The next morning the startling news was brought into the Sherwood household that Hugh McNeil was down with brain fever , and that the doctor had not left the house since midnight . Why did they all look at Dexie in such a horrified manner ? Was she to blame ? Their looks implied as much .