midnight
In her own room I had a new carpet and a new set of painted chamber furniture , which I had bought at the maker 's , and brought up piece by piece . It cost me nineteen dollars and a half , for which I paid him in cash , which indeed he wanted sadly . So , on the morning of the 13th of October , I kissed my mother forty times , because that day she was forty years old . I told her that before midnight she should know what the great surprise was , and I asked her if she could hold out till then . She let me poke as much fun at her as I chose , because she said she was so glad to have me at breakfast ; and I stayed long after breakfast , for I had told my mother that it was her birthday , and that I should be late . And such a thing as my asking for an hour or two was so rare that I took it quite of course when I did ask . I came home early at night , too .