midnight
The adventure , however , was too remarkable to make no impression on his mind . He threw himself down in his clothes on his couch ; but sleep was denied to him . A train of thought on the subject of the wondrous chest , and his fear on account of the warning he had received , disturbed his mind , and prevented him from taking any rest . There he lay awake till midnight , and saw the chest glittering in the light of the moon , which fell upon it as it streamed through the window . Curiosity at once overcame his fear : he started up and procured an iron tool with which he could break the seal of the cover , and took a hammer and chisel with him . With the aid of these instruments he broke through the leaden seal ; but scarcely had it given way , when the lid opened , and a blue curling smoke arose from it , and from the midst of it issued a hideous old woman in a strange dress . She carried a crutch under her left arm , and held another in her right hand .