four in the
morning
But up above a pane of glass took fire , drops of light trickled down the broad sloping zinc plates to the gutterings ; and then , below , a tumultuous city appeared amidst a haze of dancing golden dust . The general awakening had spread , from the first start of the market gardeners snoring in their cloaks , to the brisk rolling of the food-laden railway drays . And the whole city was opening its iron gates , the footways were humming , the pavilions roaring with life . Shouts and cries of all kinds rent the air ; it was as though the strain , which Florent had heard gathering force in the gloom ever since four in the morning , had now attained its fullest volume . To the right and left , on all sides indeed , the sharp cries accompanying the auction sales sounded shrilly like flutes amidst the sonorous bass roar of the crowd . It was the fish , the butter , the poultry , and the meat being sold . The pealing of bells passed through the air , imparting a quiver to the buzzing of the opening markets .