ten o'clock
at night
It was rather an awful sensation to be alone in the lower part of the house after every one else had gone to bed ; but Susan Trott was very anxious to finish the making of the new cap ; so she went back to the kitchen , and seated herself once more at the table . She had scarcely taken up her scissors to cut an end of ribbon , when a low , stealthy tapping sounded on the outer wooden shutter of the window behind her . Susan gave a little shriek of terror , and dropped the scissors as if they had been red-hot . What could that awful sound mean at ten o'clock at night ? For some moments the little parlour-maid was completely overcome by terror . Then , all at once , her thoughts flew back to the person whose image had occupied her mind all that evening . Was it not just possible that the dashing young baker might have something very particular to say to her , and that he had come in this mysterious manner to say it ?