Eleven o’clock
When Balthazar retired , after , as we may say , filling his family with light and bathing them with tenderness , Emmanuel de Solis , who had shown some embarrassment of manner , took from his pockets three thousand ducats in gold , the possession of which he had feared to betray . He placed them on the work-table , where Marguerite covered them with some linen she was mending ; and then he went to his own house to fetch the rest of the money . When he returned , Felicie had gone to bed . Eleven o'clock struck ; Martha , who sat up to undress her mistress , was still with Felicie . `` Where can we hide it ? '' said Marguerite , unable to resist the pleasure of playing with the gold ducats , -- a childish amusement which proved disastrous . `` I will lift this marble pedestal , which is hollow , '' said Emmanuel ; `` you can slip in the packages , and the devil himself will not think of looking for them there . ''