midnight
This much came to him and it bothered him even more , now that he understood that they were bandying their meanings lightly over a subject so vital , so important , so -- so completely personal . Then , in that oddly irrational corner of his brain that neither knowledge nor information had been adequate to rationalize nor had experience arrived to supply the explanation , James Holden 's limited but growing comprehension arrived at a conclusion that was reasonable within its limited framework . Judge Carter and his wife occupied separate bedrooms and had therefore never Done It . Conversely , Tim and Janet Fisher from their midnight discussion obviously Knew What It Was All About . James wondered whether they had Done It yet , and he also wondered whether he could tell by listening to their discussions and conversations now that they 'd been married at least long enough to have Tried It . With a brand new and very interesting subject to study , James lost interest in the program of concentrated research . James Holden found that all he had to do to arrange a trip to Shipmont was to state his desire to go and the length of his visit .