midnight
They stepped into the carriage and were driven rapidly away ; but Arthur , as he leaned back exhausted in his seat , murmured sorrowfully : `` And poor little Mary , too ! Who will befriend her now ? '' In the upper apartment of a cottage standing alone by the roadside on the outskirts of Boston , Miranda , pale and dejected , sat gazing vacantly at the light of the solitary lamp that lit the room . The clock was striking midnight , and the driving rain beat dismally against the window-blinds . But one month had passed since her elopement with Philip Searle , yet her wan cheeks and altered aspect revealed how much of suffering can be crowded into that little space of time . She started from her revery when the striking of the timepiece told the lateness of the hour . Heavy footsteps sounded upon the stairway , and , while she listened , Philip , followed by Bradshaw , entered the room abruptly .