midnight
In further preparation for the attempt Alex that afternoon stretched himself on the cot , and slept several hours . To the young operator it seemed that the cowman would never retire that night . And when at length he blew out the light , and threw himself upon his bed , he apparently lay an interminable time awake . At length , however , when the moonlight in the window pointed to approaching midnight , there came a faint regular breathing , then a full long snore . Without loss of time Alex got to his feet at the foot of the cot , and leaning against the wall , reached toward the window . He could just touch the broken corner of pane with the tips of his fingers . Moving his supporting hand farther along the wall , he drew back , and reached forward with a lunge .