midnight
Now the readiest way to secure this interest and to procure her assistance in any matter of the heart , was to flatter her on the point where she was the most sensible . Whence the offering . '' `` And what was the offering ? '' `` It was once a common belief that the young maiden who should wash her linen white in pure running water and should ` watch ' it whilst drying before a fire from eleven to twelve at night , would , at the stroke of midnight , see the face of the man appear before her who was destined to be her husband , and the child says that this was the ' _ Wake of Freya _ ' . '' `` I have heard of it before , '' said my father , `` but under another name . So you were engaged in one of these watchings . '' `` It was no fault of mine , '' said my mother ; `` for , as I told you , I was very young , scarcely ten years of age ; but I had a sister considerably older than myself , a nice girl , but somewhat giddy and rather unsettled .