midnight
It arose out of a clear sky , blew up a snow-cloud which did no more than powder the hills , and then continued to blow furiously out of a clear sky . It was steady but inconceivably strong while it lasted ; the force and pressure of the wind did not vary until just the end . It came from the south-east , which is the rainy quarter in Northumberland , but without rain . It blew hard from midnight , until three o'clock in the morning , and then , for half an hour , a hurricane . The valley and hamlet escaped as by a miracle . Mr. Robson , the vicar , awakened by it , heard the wind like thunder overhead and went out of doors to observe it . He went out into a still , mild air coming from the north-west , and still heard it roaring like a mad thing high above him .