midnight
Here Proctor presented us to his wife , Fronda , and his daughters , two stately girls , whom he did not name . Thorwald and Zenith kindly helped the doctor and me to answer the many questions which these new friends were so eager to ask , so that , as breakfast proceeded , all became engaged in the conversation . My own mind , however , was somewhat preoccupied . I thought perhaps Thorwald might be in haste to depart for home , and I was determined not to let the company separate till I had made an attempt to discover who my midnight singer was . So , when there came a convenient lull in the talk , I made bold to say : `` Can anyone present tell me who it was that woke me in the night ` with concord of sweet sounds ' ? '' A general smile passed around the table at this question , while Fronda looked at me and said pleasantly , `` It must have been Avis . She is very fond of singing and considers all hours her own .