twelve P.M.
She had her own reasons for wishing not to thwart him openly , and , after some trifling demurs , she acquiesced . James , accordingly , escorted Mary as far as her master 's barn-yard , which was certainly the most considerable part of her journey ; and here , notwithstanding the lateness , or rather earliness of the hour , and her previous hurry to get home , they spent they knew not how long on the leeward side of a _ strae stack _ , conversing on various subjects , which to them , and to the whole world , might have been deemed of very little importance ; and , though neither of them spoke one word of love , or made the slightest allusion to that interesting subject , it was almost morning before they thought of separating . The night adventure , thus happily got over , produced no bad consequences ; but it was not long before Mary was again threatened with the addresses of Ritchie Drycraig . To these , however , she had sagely determined not to listen , if she could by any possibility do otherwise ; and when , according to the established rules of society , he presented himself at her bedroom window between the hours of ten and twelve P.M. , making his presence known by a gentle rap upon the glass and a low whistle , she was under the necessity of feigning sickness oftener than once to get quit of him . But this , as it afforded her an excuse for not seeing him , so it gave him a pretext for returning to inquire after her health ; and to avoid him , in a short time , it would have become absolutely necessary for her to lie constantly in bed . This would not do , and a new expedient was tried . Next time he made his appearance , the new moon gave a faint and uncertain light , which seemed to suit her purpose very well ; and from the half-opened window she whispered in his ear a terrifying tale of a ghost , which had been lately seen walking under the shelter of a hedge immediately in front of the house .