midnight
On this day , Wharton heard of it , and waylaid Grace Bentham , and talked wildly . This made her very happy , though she would not listen , and made him promise to not say such things again . Her hour had not come . But the sun swept back on its northern journey , the black of midnight changed to the steely color of dawn , the snow slipped away , the water dashed again over the glacial drift , and the wash-up began . Day and night the yellow clay and scraped bedrock hurried through the swift sluices , yielding up its ransom to the strong men from the Southland . And in that time of tumult came Grace Bentham 's hour . To all of us such hours at some time come , -- that is , to us who are not too phlegmatic .