midnight
He 'll be here soon , I think . Are you in great pain ? '' `` When I move , yes , '' Eloise replied , and then , as the full extent of the catastrophe burst upon her , she began to cry , -- not softly to herself , but hysterically , with sobs which smote both Howard and Jack like blows . It was a novel predicament in which they found themselves , -- near midnight , in a thunderstorm , with a young girl on the ground unable to walk , and neither of them knowing what to do . Howard said it was a deuced shame , and Jack told her not to cry . Sam was sure to come with a lantern soon , and they 'd see what was the matter . As he talked he put her head back upon his shoulder , and she let it lie there without protest .