nearly a quarter past midnight
`` Poor thing ! 't is like her ill-luck , '' he murmured . At length he turned to the lamp and looked at his watch . To his surprise it was nearly a quarter past midnight . He now wished that he had driven up the circuitous road to Mistover , a plan not adopted because of the enormous length of the route in proportion to that of the pedestrian 's path down the open hillside , and the consequent increase of labour for the horse . At this moment a footstep approached ; but the light of the lamps being in a different direction the comer was not visible . The step paused , then came on again .