a quarter to nine
Stars were already twinkling in the sky . The moon must have been rising on the further side of the monastery , for the sky was clear , soft , and transparent . Bats were flitting noiselessly along the white monastery wall . The clock slowly struck three quarters , probably a quarter to nine . The princess got up and walked slowly to the gate . She felt wounded and was crying , and she felt that the trees and the stars and even the bats were pitying her , and that the clock struck musically only to express its sympathy with her . She cried and thought how nice it would be to go into a monastery for the rest of her life .