midnight
The evening had passed pleasantly , and the conversation had turned on many subjects , until , in an evil hour , Mr. Hawbury had dropped a hint which showed that he was fond of sailing , and that he possessed a pleasure-boat of his own in the harbor . Excited on the instant by his favorite topic , Allan had left his host no hospitable alternative but to take him to the pier head and show him the boat . The beauty of the night and the softness of the breeze had done the rest of the mischief ; they had filled Allan with irresistible longings for a sail by moonlight . Prevented from accompanying his guest by professional hindrances which obliged him to remain on shore , the doctor , not knowing what else to do , had ventured on disturbing Midwinter , rather than take the responsibility of allowing Mr. Armadale -LRB- no matter how well he might be accustomed to the sea -RRB- to set off on a sailing trip at midnight entirely by himself . The time taken to make this explanation brought Midwinter and the doctor to the pier head . There , sure enough , was young Armadale in the boat , hoisting the sail , and singing the sailor 's `` Yo-heave-ho ! '' at the top of his voice .