midnight
There was something so soothing to the humility of a man of his temperament , to hear qualities that he could not but know he possessed himself , thus highly extolled by the loveliest female he had ever beheld , that , for the moment , his faculties seemed suspended in a natural and excusable pride . Then it was that the idea of the possibility of such a creature as Judith becoming his companion for life first crossed his mind . The image was so pleasant , and so novel , that he continued completely absorbed by it for more than a minute , totally regardless of the beautiful reality that was seated before him , watching the expression of his upright and truth-telling countenance with a keenness that gave her a very fair , if not an absolutely accurate clue to his thoughts . Never before had so pleasing a vision floated before the mind 's eye of the young hunter , but , accustomed most to practical things , and little addicted to submitting to the power of his imagination , even while possessed of so much true poetical feeling in connection with natural objects in particular , he soon recovered his reason , and smiled at his own weakness , as the fancied picture faded from his mental sight , and left him the simple , untaught , but highly moral being he was , seated in the Ark of Thomas Hutter , at midnight , with the lovely countenance of its late owner 's reputed daughter , beaming on him with anxious scrutiny , by the light of the solitary lamp . `` You 're wonderful handsome , and enticing , and pleasing to look on , Judith ! '' he exclaimed , in his simplicity , as fact resumed its ascendency over fancy . `` Wonderful !