midnight
But the minister had come to see that his behaviour in his last visit to the soutar must have laid him open to suspicion from him ; and he was now bent on removing what he counted the unfortunate impression his words might have made . Wishing therefore to appear to cherish no offence over his parishioner 's last words to him ere they parted , and so obliterate any suggestion of needed confession lurking behind his own words with which he had left him , he now addressed him with an _ abandon _ which , gloomy in spirit as he habitually was , he could yet assume in a moment when the masking instinct was aroused in him -- `` Oh , Mr. MacLear , '' he said jocularly , `` I am glad you have just managed to escape breaking the Sabbath ! You have had a close shave ! It wants ten minutes , hardly more , to the awful midnight hour ! '' `` I doobt , sir , it would hae broken the Sawbath waur , to fail o ' my word for the sake o ' a steik or twa that maittered naething to God or man ! '' returned the soutar . `` Ah , well , we wo n't argue about it !