About midnight
He put out his light . From his bed he could see Grace 's light kiss the plane-tree . He lay and fixed his eyes on it , and thought of all that had passed between them ; and , by-and-by , love and grief made his eyes misty , and that pale light seemed to dance and flicker before him . About midnight , he was nearly dozing off , when his ear caught a muttering outside ; he listened , and thought he heard some instrument grating below . He rose very softly , and crept to the window , and looked keenly through his casement . He saw nothing at first ; but presently a dark object emerged from behind the plane-tree I have mentioned , and began to go slowly , but surely up it . Little feared it was a burglar about to attack that house which held his darling .