midnight
Willoughby said `` Good-night '' to each of them , contrasting as he did so the downcast look of Laetitia with Clara 's frigid directness . He divined that they were off to talk over their one object of common interest , Crossjay . Saluting his aunts , he took up the rug , to celebrate their diligence and taste ; and that he might make Dr. Middleton impatient for bed , he provoked him to admire it , held it out and laid it out , and caused the courteous old gentleman some confusion in hitting on fresh terms of commendation . Before midnight the room was empty . Ten minutes later Willoughby paid it a visit , and found it untenanted by the person he had engaged to be there . Vexed by his disappointment , he paced up and down , and chanced abstractedly to catch the rug in his hand ; for what purpose , he might well ask himself ; admiration of ladies ' work , in their absence , was unlikely to occur to him . Nevertheless , the touch of the warm , soft silk was meltingly feminine .