midnight
Neither spoke . It was the hour of fullest gratitude , of mutual dedication . The night about them was filled with that humming heard only on a big ship plowing through a calm sea after sundown , the drone of light winds through lofty rigging , the heavy slipping of displaced water , the muffled roar of great engines throbbing in the deep hold . Eight bells rang the midnight hour . Deane rose , whispering that she had a few things to unpack , bidding him come in ten minutes . Leaning over him , she smoothed his hair lightly with her two hands , curling about her fingers the obstinate scalp lock that always would stand forth from his crown . Reaching up , he took her cool hands and held them tightly against his cheeks .