nearly twelve
o'clock at night
It seemed strange to Ralph that the mention of a thing of this sort , which must have happened three or four years ago , and to a lady whom he had known a very short time , should send a little pang of jealousy through his heart , but such was the fact . There were picnic meals at Cobhurst that day ; for La Fleur was not to arrive until the morrow , and they were all very jolly . Mike was in a state of exuberant delight at the idea of having that good Mrs. Flower in the place of Molly Tooney . He worked until nearly twelve o'clock at night to scour and brighten the kitchen and its contents for her reception . Into this region of bliss there descended , about the middle of the afternoon , a frowning apparition . It was that of Miss Panney , to whom Molly had gone that morning , informing her that she had been discharged without notice by that minx of a girl , who did n't know anything more about housekeeping than she did about blacksmithing , and wanted to put `` a dirty , hathen nager '' over the head of a first-class Christian cook . When she heard this news , the old lady was amazed and indignant ; and she soundly rated Molly for not coming to her instantly , before she left her place .