midnight
`` No , sir , '' said Nick ; `` I think I 'd rather sleep in my own room so long as my cousin is with me . '' At the head of the stairs they turned at once toward the old dining-hall . It was proper for Nick to follow , for the nearest way to Gilder 's room led in that direction . It was exactly midnight when they opened the door of the old dining-hall . A cool breath of air swept out upon them , for the thick stone walls of this part of the house resisted the hot weather , and this room had been kept closed . The colonel shivered slightly in the draught . He paused on the threshold for a moment , and looked into the room .