one o'clock in the morning
Thus , as the minutes passed , John Silence sat and waited , keenly on the alert , wondering how soon the attack would be renewed , and at what point it would be diverted from the animals and directed upon himself . The book lay on the floor beside him , his notes were complete . With one hand on the cat 's fur , and the dog 's front paws resting against his feet , the three of them dozed comfortably before the hot fire while the night wore on and the silence deepened towards midnight . It was well after one o'clock in the morning when Dr. Silence turned the lamp out and lighted the candle preparatory to going up to bed . Then Smoke suddenly woke with a loud sharp purr and sat up . It neither stretched , washed nor turned : it listened . And the doctor , watching it , realised that a certain indefinable change had come about that very moment in the room .