midnight
He was on horseback , dressed in fur coat and cap . On the pommel of his saddle hung a satchel in which he kept the communion service , the Prayer-book , and the clerical robe . He had been summoned on a parochial errand to a remote forest settlement , where he had talked with a sick person until late in the evening . Now he was on his way home , but feared that he should not get back to the rectory until after midnight . `` As he had to sit in the saddle when he should have been at home in his bed , he was glad it was not a rough night . The weather was mild , the air still and the skies overcast . Behind the clouds hung a full round moon which gave some light , although it was out of sight .