Three o'clock
The `` déniquoiseaux '' are a sort of sea-urchins , and are not a very timid species . The night was very dark . Dense masses of cloud obscured the zenith . Three o'clock had sounded in the steeple of Torteval which is round and pointed like a magician 's hat . Why did the boys return so late ? Nothing more simple . They had been searching for sea-gulls ' nests in the Tas de Pois d'Aval .