midnight before
He had never loved her ... `` My son ! my son ! '' Then a sharp return of memory to the shame of his conduct whipped her to her feet and set her walking about the room . It was long after midnight before she said to herself that the first thing to do was to learn exactly what had happened . Nannie must tell her . It was then that she went up to her stepdaughter 's room . When Nannie had told her , or rather when Blair 's letter had made the thing shamefully clear , she went down-stairs and faced the situation .