midnight
It was the devil tempted me to bring it , but it was only to force the truth from him , and it went off of itself . '' `` You are somewhat premature , '' said Colonel Carrington . `` We have n't quite done with you . As I said , I hold myself responsible for the peace of Carrington , and though I am inclined to believe it was an accident , you ca n't ride twenty miles hungry at midnight . You came here without my invitation , and you have customs of your own , but you 'll certainly get lost and frozen on the prairie if you leave this house before to-morrow morning . '' They stood facing each other , a curious contrast , the pinched and bowed cobbler and the army officer , but there was the same stubborn pride in both ; for with a quaint dignity , which in some measure covered its discourtesy , the former made answer in the tongue of the spinning country : `` I thank thee , but I take no favors from the rich . Thou and the others like thee have all the smooth things in this life , though even they can not escape the bitterness that is hidden under them .