five o’clock in the
morning
His usually pale face had become very red , the timid , childlike expression of his eyes had changed into a fiery one , like that of an eagle , and he moved away quickly . He disappeared with the old workman , and even then she continued to laugh as she bent over the water , again splashing herself as she shook the clothes hither and thither , rejoicing in the brightness of the happy day . On the morrow he came an hour earlier . But at five o'clock in the morning the linen , which had been dripping all night , was spread out on the grass . There was a brisk wind , which was excellent for drying . But in order that the different articles need not be blown away , they were kept in place by putting little pebbles on their four corners . The whole wash was there , looking of a dazzling whiteness among the green herbage , having a strong odour of plants about it , and making the meadow as if it had suddenly blossomed out into a snowy covering of daisies .