midnight
Virginia and her uncle had gone home about eleven o'clock , and Rachel and Jasper Chase had gone with them as far as the avenue where Virginia lived . Dr. West had walked on a little way with them to his own home , and Rachel and Jasper had then gone on together to her mother 's . That was a little after eleven . It was now striking midnight , and Jasper Chase sat in his room staring at the papers on his desk and going over the last half hour with painful persistence . He had told Rachel Winslow of his love for her , and she had not given him her love in return . It would be difficult to know what was most powerful in the impulse that had moved him to speak to her tonight . He had yielded to his feelings without any special thought of results to himself , because he had felt so certain that Rachel would respond to his love .