two o'clock in the morning
The square caps kept the veil so perfectly level that it was impossible to distinguish the shape of a head beneath its folds . Germain , after ten minutes of hesitation , closed his eyes , commended his soul to God , and stuck his staff out at random . He touched little Marie 's forehead , and she threw the sheet aside with a cry of triumph . He obtained leave then to kiss her , and , taking her in his strong arms , he carried her to the middle of the room , and with her opened the ball , which lasted until two o'clock in the morning . Then they separated to meet again at eight o'clock . As there was a considerable number of young people from the neighboring towns , and as there were not beds enough for everybody , each invited guest among the women of the village shared her bed with two or three friends , while the young men lay pell-mell on the hay in the loft at the farm . You can imagine that there was not much sleep there , for they thought of nothing but teasing , and playing tricks on one another and telling amusing stories .