midnight
But there was everything , for our apprehension , in the lucky fact that no discomfortable legend , no perturbation of scullions , had ever , within anyone 's memory attached to the kind old place . It had neither bad name nor ill fame , and Mrs. Grose , most apparently , only desired to cling to me and to quake in silence . I even put her , the very last thing of all , to the test . It was when , at midnight , she had her hand on the schoolroom door to take leave . `` I have it from you then -- for it 's of great importance -- that he was definitely and admittedly bad ? '' `` Oh , not admittedly . _ I _ knew it -- but the master did n't . ''