twelve o'clock
Here she had received the pledges , and the plight , and honour ; and here her light head led her on to look for something faithful . `` When the tide turns I shall know it . If he does not come by that time , there will be no more to do . It will be too late for weddings , for the tide turns at twelve o'clock . How calm and peaceful is the sea ! How happy are the sea gulls , and how true to one another ! '' She stood where , if she had cared for life , it would have been certain death to stand , so giddy was the height , and the rock beneath her feet so slippery .