midnight
And she was both grieved and puzzled by Kingston 's disappearance . For this was on Monday morning , and the woman had not come back to Mr. Brooke 's . Great had been the astonishment of every one in the house when it was found that the quiet , well-spoken , well-behaved Mary Kingston , who had hitherto proved herself so trustworthy and so conscientious , had gone away -- disappeared utterly and entirely , without leaving a word of explanation behind . She had last been seen on the pavement , shortly before midnight , assisting a lady to get into a hansom . Nobody had seen her re-enter the house . It seemed as if she had been spirited away . She had gone without a bonnet or shawl , in her plain black dress and white cap and apron , as if she meant to return in a minute or two , and she had not appeared again .