midnight
Once in the kitchen , Barbara and Philip and the blacksmith took rapid counsel together as to the best course of action . It was now late in the afternoon ; the Captain might be back with another bodyguard at any time , and , once he returned , there would be no chance of getting the stranger away . It was therefore important to furnish him with the disguise -- Rupert 's clothes -- and spirit him out of the house at once . On the other hand , as he did not count upon being at sea till midnight , this would simply mean exchanging one hiding-place for another ; but , all things considered , it was imperative that he should stay no longer at the Hall . This decided , Rupert was called in to divest himself of his clothes , and soon afterwards he sent down the bundle , and with it Barbara sought the stranger , while Matthew , feeling very well satisfied with the day 's work , sauntered to the stables to examine the wounds of the Roundhead soldiers . He found them groaning , but in a way to recover , and then , calling the boys , he set them to prepare the horses against their journey . It was approaching evening , but the month being June , there was no chance of a dark departure , even if they waited as late as half-past eight , so that one hour of leaving was almost as safe as another .