midnight
She had been in the saddle since a little past noon and it was now not far from midnight . And still there was the unanswered question of Peter 's errand . It was long since either had broken the silence . A delicious coolness had crept into the air with the approach of midnight . Judith , breathing deep draughts of it , reminded herself of the stoicism that was hers by birthright . `` Peter '' -- her voice lost some of its old ring , but it had a deeper note -- `` Peter , we make strange comrades , you and I , in a stranger world . We meet on Horse-Thief Trail , and there is reason to suppose that our errands are inimical .