midnight
The memory of the rose before fades , even if he never wore it . Then , too , Burr Gordon had a sense of approbation from his shrewder self which sustained him . This Dorothy Fair , the minister 's daughter , of gentle New England lineage , the descendant of college-learned men , and of women who had held themselves with a fine dignity and mild reserve in the village society , the sole heiress of what seemed a goodly property to the simple needs of the day , appealed to his reason as well as his heart . He remained until near midnight , while the old black woman crouched with the patience of a watching animal outside the door , and he wooed Dorothy Fair with ardor and delight , although her softly affectionate kisses were to Madelon Hautville 's as the fall of snow-flakes to drops of warm honey . And although after he had gone home and fallen asleep his dreams were mixed , still when he waked with the image of Madelon between himself and Dorothy , because sleep had set his heart free , it was still with that sense of approbation . Madelon Hautville was not considered a fair match for a young man who had claims to ambition . The Hautville family held a peculiar place in public estimation .