four o’clock in
the morning
`` In fact , my dear , '' said old Mother Red one winter to her mate , `` what is the use of one 's living in this cold , hollow tree , when these amiable people have erected this pretty cottage , where there is plenty of room for us and them too ? Now I have examined between the eaves , and there is a charming place where we can store our nuts , and where we can whip in and out of the garret , and have the free range of the house ; and , say what you will , these humans have delightful ways of being warm and comfortable in winter . '' So Mr. and Mrs. Red set up housekeeping in the cottage , and had no end of nuts and other good things stored up there . The trouble of all this was , that , as Mrs. Red was a notable body , and got up to begin her housekeeping operations , and woke up all her children , at four o'clock in the morning , the good people often were disturbed by a great rattling and fuss in the walls , while yet it seemed dark night . Then sometimes , too , I grieve to say , Mrs. Squirrel would give her husband vigorous curtain lectures in the night , which made him so indignant that he would rattle off to another quarter of the garret to sleep by himself ; and all this broke the rest of the worthy people who built the house . What is to be done about this we do n't know . What would you do about it ?