midnight
The strength of his constitution enabled him to get home on foot , where meanwhile he had , without willing it , brought mourning , desolation , poverty , and death . The evening before , when dinner was ready , Madame Descoings and Agathe expected Philippe . They waited dinner till seven o'clock . Agathe always went to bed at ten ; but as , on this occasion , she wished to be present at the midnight mass , she went to lie down as soon as dinner was over . Madame Descoings and Joseph remained alone by the fire in the little salon , which served for all , and the old woman asked the painter to add up the amount of her great stake , her monstrous stake , on the famous trey , which she was to pay that evening at the Lottery office . She wished to put in for the doubles and singles as well , so as to seize all chances . After feasting on the poetry of her hopes , and pouring the two horns of plenty at the feet of her adopted son , and relating to him her dreams which demonstrated the certainty of success , she felt no other uneasiness than the difficulty of bearing such joy , and waiting from mid-night until ten o'clock of the morrow , when the winning numbers were declared .