midnight
`` I 'm sorry for that . '' `` Why ? '' He lurched heavily as his spurs caught and twanged like tuning - forks . `` War 's declared at midnight . _ Pedantics _ be sugared ! Buy an ` am an ' see life ! '' For the moment I fancied Mr. Pyecroft , a fugitive from justice , purposed that we two should embrace a Robin Hood career in the uplands of Dorset .