midnight
Tom was right in concluding that Bill Crane 's influence over Peabody was anything but good . The young Bostonian , however , was not long subjected to it . During the night following John Miles 's departure , the little settlement at River Bend was called upon to deplore the loss of an eminent member . In brief , somewhere between midnight and dawn Mr. William Crane took his departure , without the ceremony of leave-taking . Had he gone alone no one perhaps would have felt any violent sorrow , but he took with him a horse belonging to Adam Dietrich , an industrious young German , who had only recently arrived . No one had seen the two go together , but it was only natural to suppose that Crane had spirited away the horse . Dietrich borrowed a horse , and , accompanied by a friend , set out in search of the thief , but returned at night unsuccessful .