the dangerous hours after midnight
-- OLD SCOTTISH INSCRIPTION . After luncheon , I drove over to the village with Phillida , who had some housewifely orders to give at the shops . On second thoughts , Vere and I had agreed to tell her nothing about the venture we planned for tonight . We had satisfied her by the assurance that I meant to start for New York before the dangerous hours after midnight . Reassured , she regained her usual spirits with the buoyancy of her few years and healthy nerves . I gathered her secret belief was that no `` ghost '' would dare face Ethan . Which may have been quite true !