about a quarter to nine
What oppressed her , and brought that feeling of tightness to her throat , and that smarting weight of tears to her eyes , were the great multitude of stars in the dark-blue heavens , and the infinite and grand solitude of the moors which lay around . The night grew darker ; poor Maggie , worn out , crouched down on the ground ; Polly , who had now quite made friends with Cinder , sat by Maggie 's side , and when the poor hungry little girl fell asleep , Polly let her rest her head in her lap . The dogs and the two children were all collected in the doorway of the hut , and now Polly could look more calmly up at the stars , and the tears rolled silently down her cheeks . It was in this position that , at about a quarter to nine , Dr. Maybright found her . Some instinct seemed to lead him to Peg-Top Moor -- a sudden recollection brought the hut to his memory , a ringing voice , and gay laugh came back to him . The laugh was Polly 's , the words were hers . `` Oh , if there could be a delightful thing , it would be to live as a hermit in the hut at the other side of Peg-Top Moor ! ''