eight o'clock in the morning
It would be cowardly to drop the burden on Abby 's shoulders , she only a woman like the rest of them , even if she had somewhat more sense . So Jacques De Arthenay sat by his fire till it was cold and dead , a miserable and a wrathful man ; and he too slept little that night . But Marie slept long and peacefully in Sister Lizzie 's bed , and looked so pretty in her sleep that Abby came three times to wake her , and three times went away again , unable to spoil so perfect a picture . At last , however , the dark eyes opened of their own accord , and Marie began to chirp and twitter , like a bird at daybreak in its nest ; only instead of daybreak , it was eight o'clock in the morning , a most shocking hour for anybody to be getting up . But Abby had been in the habit of spoiling her sister , who had a theory that she was never able to do anything early in the morning , and so it was much more considerate for her to stay in bed and keep out of Abby 's way . This is a comfortable theory . `` I suppose you 've been an early riser , though ? ''