midnight
He lay down in a thicket of tall grass and bushes , resolved not to start before midnight , and he felt so much at peace that before he knew he was going to sleep he was sleeping . When he awoke he felt a little dismay at first , but it was soon gone . After all , he had passed the time of waiting in the easiest way , and no enemy had come . The moon and stars were not to be seen , but instinct told him that it was not beyond midnight . He arose to go , but a slight sound came from the lake , and he stayed . It was merely the cry of the night bird , calling to its mate , one would have said , but Robert 's attention was attracted by an odd inflection in it , a strain that seemed familiar . He listened with the utmost attention , and when it came a second time , he was so sure that his pulses beat very fast .