the hour of ten
Immediately the old man 's white head appeared at the window , and Magde held the child aloft in her hands towards him . And now everything was performed rightly ; the last farewell glances were exchanged , and then Magde and her children disappeared from the old man 's sight . The heat of the day had been followed by the pleasant coolness of an August evening . The hands of the clock pointed to the hour of ten , and Gottlieb , who had been walking during the entire evening in the neighborhood of the little red cottage , began to think that his uncle Fabian had in all comfort reached his home by another road . `` It is so quiet in the cottage , '' thought he , `` that I think they have all retired . '' He glanced stealthily over the lilac hedge towards Magde 's window . The entire valley was bathed in moonlight , and the moonbeams glanced directly through the window panes of Magde 's apartment , with such vivid brightness that Gottlieb was undecided how to act .