midnight
For an hour Ruth waited , and then , unable to bear the suspense , she threw a shawl over her head , and slipped down to the garden gate to watch for John . At length , shivering with cold , she was about to return to the house , when she heard in the distance the noisy snatch of a song . `` It ca n't be John , of course ; but I 'll just hide behind the laurels till the drunken fellow has passed , '' thought Ruth . Nearer and nearer came the sound , till , with beating heart , Ruth stepped into the moonlight , and laid her hand on the lips that were profaning the stillness of the midnight air . `` Oh , John ; hush , hush ! If master should hear you ! Oh , what have you been doing , my poor boy ? ''