midnight
Then Joe told Cecile 's plan to Pericard , and Pericard nodded , and said it was good -- only he could not help opening his eyes very widely at the idea of three such little beggars , as he termed the children , being able to afford the luxury of going by train . As , however , it was impossible and , dangerous to confide in him any further , and as Cecile had already given Joe the number of francs they thought they should require out of her frock , he had to bear his curiosity in silence . Pericard , who was well up to Paris , and knew not only every place of amusement , nearly every stall-owner , nearly every trade , and every possible way of securing a sou , but also had in his head a fund of odd knowledge with regard to railway stations , could now counsel the children what station to go to , and even what train to take on their way south . He said they would probably be in time if they started at once to catch a midnight train to Orleans ; that for not too large a sum they might travel third-class to Orleans , which city they would reach the next morning . It was a large place , and as it would be impossible for Anton to guess that they had gone by train at all , they would have such a good start of him that he would probably not be able to find them again . Pericard also proposed that they should start at once , and as they had no money to spare for cabs or omnibuses , they must walk to the distant terminus from which they must start for the south . How strange they felt as they walked through the gayly-lighted streets !