midnight
Captain Carr did not come home for supper , and one of the neighboring women dropped in to tell Jessie that he might not get home until far into the night , for there had been a terrible accident on the river the evening before , and his services were needed there . Night came on , darkness settled down over the world ; then one by one the stars came out , and a full moon rose clear and bright in the heavens . The sound of far-off strains of music and the echo of girlish laughter suddenly fell upon her ears . Then it occurred to her that it must be near midnight , that her companions of other days were in the midst of their Halloween games in the big house on the hill . Only the little brook at the rear of her uncle 's garden separated the grounds . Some subtle instinct which she could not follow drew Jessie 's steps to the brook . The moon for a moment was hidden behind a cloud , but suddenly it burst forth clear and bright in all its glory .