midnight
He comprehended that it was put on to please him and Junior , both of whom liked to see `` Mother fixed up . '' In this life , they were her all , and she accounted that life full and rich . As she served , she heard the slow patter of February rain on the shelf outside of the window , where her flowers stood in summer . The great city was sinking into such half-sleep as it took between midnight and dawn ; the shriek and rush of incoming and outgoing trains grew less frequent . She did not fret over the disagreeable weather . Top , Senior , had often said that such made home and fire and supper more welcome . At Junior 's bed-time , he was eighty miles away , walking up and down the muddy platform of the principal station of Agapolis , stamping his feet at each turn in his promenade to restore the circulation .