midnight
he wondered . How long had they been under the influence of the lethal stuff ? Surely several hours . Upon glancing through a hall window he found that outside was the blackness of midnight . * * * * * Cautiously he explored the desolate chambers on the ground floor : the kitchen -- where it could be plainly seen that cooking of a sort had been done -- the barn , and woodshed . Not a living thing could he find , not even the huge wolf-hound which had attacked them in so strange a manner that afternoon . By now he was quite frankly worried on Handlon 's account .