midnight
We could see his lips move , and concluded he was saying something to imaginary persons , for he would put a jampot on his tray , and pour into it from the bottle , and then replace it . Sometimes he would go quickly to his bed , which we saw represented the dinner-wagon , or sideboard , and bring imaginary dishes from there and hand them . Then he would go quickly from chair to chair , always correcting himself if he went to the wrong side , and talking all the time softly to himself . So here was the solution of the mystery ; here melted into air the visions of Joe in league with midnight burglars . The poor boy , evidently alarmed at the prospect of the dinner-party , and feeling that he must try to improve in waiting at table before that time somehow , had stolen all those hours nightly from his rest , to practise with whatever substitutes were at hand for the usual table requisites . Here every night , when those who had worked far less during the day were soundly sleeping , had that anxious , striving little heart shaken off fatigue , and the big blue eyes refused to yield to sleep , in order to fight with the nervousness that alone prevented his willing hands acting with their natural cleverness . I felt a choking in my throat , when I saw the thin , pale little face , that should have been on the pillow hours before , lighted up with triumph as the supposed guests departed ; the dumb show of folding the dinner napkins belonging to myself and the master , and putting them in their respective rings , told us the ordeal was over .