midnight
I do believe he 'll find her yet ! '' He shook his head sagely and continued on his way across the yard . In the age of chivalry woman must have been built of sterner stuff than the girl of to-day . At least , we read in medieval romance of fair ladies who , after being knocked down by a masterful suitor and carried off across his saddle bow thirty or forty miles , are yet able to appear , cold but radiantly beautiful , at the midnight wedding and the subsequent marriage feast . But this is a romance of the present day , the age of nerves and high velocity . Barbara Mackwayte , strong and plucky as she was , after being half throttled and violently thrown into the cellar of the Dyke Inn , suddenly gave way under the strain and conveniently evaded facing the difficulties of her position by fainting clear away . The precise moment when she came out of her swoon she never knew .