midnight
The black shade as usual hid one of his eyes , masking and distorting the expression of his face ; the false mustache , too , concealed the movements of his lips , and the more his opponent 's eyes tried to search the schemer 's face , the more inscrutable and bland did the latter become . `` Nay , my friend , '' he said at last , `` I do not know that the thought of a midnight excursion with you appeals to my sense of personal security . I ... '' But with a violent oath , Adam had jumped to his feet , and kicked the chair away from under him so that it fell backwards with a loud clatter . `` Thou ` lt meet me to-night , '' he said loudly and threateningly now , `` thou ` lt meet me on the path near the cliffs of Epple Bay half an hour before midnight , and if thou hast lied to me , I 'll throw thee over and Thanet then will be rid of thee ... but if thou dost not come , I 'll to my brother Richard even before the church clock of Acol hath sounded the hour of midnight . '' De Chavasse watched him silently for the space of three seconds , realizing , of course , that he was completely in that man 's power , and also that the smith meant every word that he said . The discovery of the monstrous fraud by Richard Lambert within the next few hours was a contingency which he could not even contemplate without shuddering . He certainly would much prefer to give up to this uncouth laborer the proofs of his parentage which eventually might mean an earldom and a fortune to a village blacksmith .