midnight
I thought it would be romantic to gallop over to the Nest , and go back between one and two in the morning . Nothing more , I can assure you . '' The coolness with which this was said amazed me not a little , though I was not so silly as to believe a syllable of it . Opportunity had a great deal of vulgar sentimentalism about her , it is true -- such as some girls are apt to mistake for refinement ; but she was not quite so bad as to travel that lane , at midnight , and alone , without some special object . It occurred to me that this object might be connected with her brother , and that she would naturally wish to make her communications privately . We had all taken seats at a table which occupied the centre of the room , Mary and myself quite near each other , and Opportunity at a distant angle . I wrote on a slip of paper a short request for Mary to leave me alone with our visitor , and laid it under her eyes , without exciting Opportunity 's suspicion ; talking to her , the whole time , about the night , and the weather , and her ride .