midday
It was not even certain when the turnpike-keeper had died . With the departure of summer the old man had seemed gradually to decay . In spite of that , however , he steadily refused to have any one to help him ; and when the cold weather put a stop to work in the field he was seen no more by the neighbours . The little house looked lifeless with its closed shutters , and only the thin line of smoke which ascended from the chimney at morning and midday betrayed the presence of a living creature . Then came the hard frost at the beginning of winter . The boy who daily fetched away the milk that Vogt sold reported one day that the pitcher of milk had not been left in the yard for him as usual . But there was nothing extraordinary about that .