midnight
he exclaimed . `` Now how under the sun did that rascal get in here ? '' Then , as he realized that Reddy had actually been inside the henhouse , anxiety for the biddies swept over him . Hastily he turned , fully expecting to see either the bodies of two or three hens on the floor , or scattered feathers to show that Reddy had enjoyed a midnight feast . There were no feathers , and so far as he could see , all the hens were standing or walking about . At once Farmer Brown 's boy began to count them . Of course , he knew exactly how many there should be .