noon
That night he lay awake and thought of wealth as the only power that could confound his enemies . At last he fell asleep and dreamt of gold -- nothing but gold ; small rounded pebbles of it clothed the ground for miles . It was more , ten thousand times , than all the wealth of all the kingdoms put together . The sky above was black as pitch , though something told him that the hour was noon ; the gold put out the sun . `` All mine ! '' he thought , and was preparing to gather it , but some one stopped him with an iron hand ; and then he woke , to hear his mother 's snores and see the flicker of the night-light on the rafters . His first sensations were of disappointment as though great wealth had really lain within his grasp .