nine o'clock
Often I sneaked from my room to the corridor , when my mother had passed , but never could I discover any thing , for the Sandman had always gone in at the door when I reached the place where I might have seen him . At last , urged by an irresistible impulse , I resolved to hide myself in my father 's room and await the appearance of the Sandman . By the silence of my father , and the melancholy of my mother , I perceived one evening that the Sandman was coming . I , therefore , feigned great weariness , left the room before nine o'clock , and hid myself in a corner close to the door . The house-door creaked , and the heavy , slow , groaning step went through the passage and towards the stairs . My mother passed me with the rest of the children . Softly -- very softly , I opened the door of my father 's room .