midnight
All he had on earth was in this farm now , but he would get away as soon as he could possibly do so ; he would sacrifice that much to the man whose home he had entered . Hugh knew to a nicety how necessary it would be for his interests in a business way to be here on the ground and keep John Hunter from going into debt . Hugh had his own judgment , neighbourhood gossip , and Doctor Morgan 's plain instructions on that point , but was resolved to go if he lost all that he had in so doing . `` Well , at any rate , he ca n't mortgage anything without consulting me , and I 'll get as much of the stock out there as I can after next year -- that is , if there is any next year for me , '' he said , as he got up to go to bed long after midnight . The morning of John 's return Elizabeth asked Hugh to take her as far as Nathan 's on his way in to town . Hugh had not sat on the step till midnight the night before to let himself fall into temptation the first thing in the morning , and suggested that since the shafts of the buggy were mended that she drive over to Nathan 's alone , giving as his reason that he might be unable to come back promptly . The girl fell into his plan so readily that Hugh in his contradictory frame of mind wondered about it and was half hurt .