five o'clock
The windows may have rattled a bit , perhaps , and the shutters may have banged a trifle too remorselessly , but the Crows were not to be disturbed . The big , old-fashioned clock in the hall downstairs was striking twelve when Anderson Crow awoke with a start . He was amazed , for to awake in the middle of the night was an unheard-of proceeding for him . He caught the clang of the last five strokes from the clock , however , and was comforting himself with the belief that it was five o'clock , after all , when his wife stirred nervously . `` Are you awake , Anderson ? '' she asked softly . `` Yes , Eva , and it 's about time to get up .