midnight
So they sat and talked , he trying to soothe and allay her anxiety and she , at first openly skeptical , and then by and by allowing herself to be persuaded . All this time they had been too engrossed in their own affairs to notice how the wind had risen and that a storm was already breaking over the moor . Then suddenly realizing it , they started for home . It was nearing midnight , and the clouds being thick and low made the mossy ground very dark . The rain was coming down heavily and everything pointed to a wild night . `` I 'm sorry I did not bring a coat with me , '' said Peter , taking the windward side of Mysie , so as to break the storm for her . `` I had no idea that it was going so rain when I came away , '' and they plowed their way through the long rough grass , plashing through the little pools they were unable to see , while the wind raged and tore across the moor in a high gale .