midnight
The moment the old woman stepped into the room she noticed that the child was ill . Katrina informed her that it had the scarlet fever , but nobody sought her advice . That the parents were anxious and troubled she must have seen , of course , for as soon as Katrina had treated her to coffee and Jan had given her a piece of plug-tobacco , she said , entirely of her own accord : `` This sickness is beyond my healing powers ; but as much I 'm able to tell you ; you can find out whether it 's life or death . Keep awake till midnight , then , on the stroke of twelve , place the tip of the forefinger of your left hand against the tip of the little finger , eyelet-like , and look through at the young one . Notice carefully who lies beside her in the bed , and you 'll know what to expect . '' Katrina thanked her kindly , knowing it was best to keep on the good side of such folk ; but she had no notion of doing as she had been told . Jan attached no importance to the advice , either .