midnight
Grace seemed now the most composed of the two , and I have since suspected that she had had a private conversation with my ingenious friend , whose convincing powers were of a very extraordinary quality , when he set about their use in downright earnest . As for Lucy , she seemed to me to have been weeping the entire day . At nine o'clock it was customary for the whole family to separate , after prayers . Most of us went to bed at that early hour , though Mr. Hardinge himself seldom sought his pillow until midnight . This habit compelled us to use a good deal of caution in getting out of the house , in which Rupert and myself succeeded , however , without discovery , just as the clock struck eleven . We had taken leave of the girls in a hasty manner , in a passage , shaking hands , and each of us kissing his own sister , as he affected to retire for the night . To own the truth , we were much gratified in finding how reasonably Grace and Lucy behaved , on the occasion , and not a little surprised , for we had expected a scene , particularly with the former .