about midnight
Germain went to the other side of the fire , and vowed that he would not stir until she was awake . He kept his word , but it was a hard task . He thought that he should go mad . At last , about midnight , the fog disappeared , and Germain could see the stars shining through the trees . The moon also shook itself clear of the vapors that shrouded it and began to sow diamonds on the damp moss . The trunks of the oak-trees remained in majestic obscurity ; but , a little farther away , the white stems of the birches seemed like a row of phantoms in their shrouds . The fire was reflected in the pool ; and the frogs , beginning to become accustomed to it , hazarded a few shrill , timid notes ; the knotty branches of the old trees , bristling with pale lichens , crossed and recrossed , like great fleshless arms , over our travellers ' heads ; it was a lovely spot , but so lonely and melancholy that Germain , weary of suffering there , began to sing and to throw stones into the water to charm away the ghastly _ ennui _ of solitude .