the hour of twelve
The afternoon had never seemed so long . It came at last -- a fine moonlight night . This was fortunate , for his accommodating host , from motives of economy possibly , was not in the habit of providing him with a candle . Jack thought it prudent to wait till he heard the city clocks pealing the hour of twelve . By this time , as far as he could see from his windows , there were no lights burning , and all who occupied the building were probably asleep . He selected that part of the door which he judged to be directly under the bolt , and began to cut away with his knife . The wood was soft , and easy of excavation .