midnight
` Indeed ! ' muttered the guilty man , in a sepulchral tone . '' ` Indeed and indeed ! Why , only last night , when we came home at midnight , from Mrs. Judge Mayo 's ball , when you lingered below stairs to speak to the butler , and I ran up into my own room alone , I saw this strange looking little creature , with the streaming black hair and the red cloak , standing before my dressing-glass ! Now what do you think of that ? ' '' ` She -- she -- she has been a sort of a pet of the family , and has had the run of the house , coming in and out of all the rooms at all hours , like any little dog , ' answered the conscious criminal , in a quavering voice . '' ' _ That _ must be reformed at once ! '