midnight
The minister , justly hurt , remarked that , when a man was in a tight place , he needed the support of his friends , if he had any ; and the doctor went whistling drearily away , conscious that he could have said much worse about the address , without doing it justice . The only earthly circumstance which seemed to be fulfilling its duty toward Tiverton was the weather . That shone seraphically bright . The air was never so soft , the skies were never so clear and far , and they were looking down indulgently on all this earthly turmoil when , something before midnight , on the fateful eve , Nicholas Oldfield went up the path to his side-door , and stumbled over despairing Mary on the step . `` What under the heavens '' -- he began ; but Mary precipitated herself upon him , and held him with both hands . The moral tension , which had held her hopeless and rigid , gave way . She was sobbing wildly .