midnight
He went to the door and opened it and found outside a wretched sheep-dog , so starved that the bones showed through the skin , and so weak that he could scarcely drag himself along . Peter let him in and the animal came up to him and looked up in his eyes and , very faintly , wagged his tail . Peter gave him the bread , which the dog devoured , and then they both remained silent , without moving , the dog 's head between Peter 's knees . The boy must have slept , because he woke suddenly to all the clocks in the house striking midnight , and in the silence the house seemed to be full of clocks . They came running down the stairs and up and down the passages and then , with a whir and a clatter , ceased as instantly as they had begun . The house was silent again -- the storm had died down -- and then the dog that had been sleeping suddenly raised its head and barked . Somewhere in the distance a door was banged to , and then Peter heard a voice , a tremendous voice , singing .