midnight
At the breakfast-table each one was expatiating on the rare promise of the day . Even Mrs. Clifford , awakened by the half subdued clatter of the children , had seen the brilliant , rose tinted dawn . `` The day can not be more beautiful than was the night , '' Webb remarked . `` A little after midnight I was awakened by a clamor from the poultry , and suspecting either two or four footed thieves , I was soon covering the hennery with my gun . As a result , Sir Mephitis , as Burroughs calls him , lies stark and stiff near the door . After watching awhile , and finding no other marauders abroad , I became aware that it was one of the most perfect nights I had ever seen . It was hard to imagine that , a few hours before , a gale had been blowing under a cloudy sky .