noon
It might be well to communicate again with his wife 's attorneys . He went to bed with a mind unsettled , still curious , speculative , unable to fix upon any definite course of conduct . And the second day was like unto the first : a day of rain and wind and fog periodically punctuated by black squalls that tore shrieking across the bay with the blind fury of spirits of destruction gone stark , raving mad . The third day broke full of the spirit of the second ; but toward noon the rain ceased , and by mid-afternoon the violence of the wind had moderated perceptibly to a stiffish but failing breeze beneath a breaking cloud-rack . With the disappearance of fog , for the first time since Whitaker 's arrival the neighbourhood discovered perspectives . By evening , when the wind went down with the sun , leaving absolute calm , the barrier beach far across the quiet waters of the shallow , landlocked bay shone like a bar of ruddy gold against a horizon of melting mauve . In the evening , too , a telegram from Ember was transmitted by telephone to the bungalow , advising Whitaker of his host 's intention to return by the following night at the latest .