midnight
The girls were all dressed in cambric and muslin and as light in heart as the fabrics and ribbons they flaunted . I was gratified with the boldness of Cotton , as he cantered away with Frances , and with the day before him there was every reason to believe that his cause would he advanced . As to myself , with Esther by my side the livelong day , I could not have asked the world to widen an inch . It was midnight when we reached Las Palomas returning . As we rode along that night , John confessed to me that Frances was a tantalizing enigma . Up to a certain point , she offered every encouragement , but beyond that there seemed to be a dead line over which she allowed no sentiment to pass . It was plain to be seen that he was discouraged , but I told him I had gone through worse ordeals .