noon
As the days went by , however , she was annoyed by the discovery that his continued ignoring of her presence brought more resentment than relief , she detected in it a deliberation implying between them a guilty secret : she hated secrecy , though secrecy contained a thrill . Then , one morning when she was alone in the office with young Caldwell , who was absorbed in some reports , Ditmar entered unexpectedly and looked her full in the eyes , surprising her into answering his glance before she could turn away , hating herself and hating him . Hate , she determined , was her prevailing sentiment in regard to Mr. Ditmar . The following Monday Miss Ottway overtook her , at noon , on the stairs . `` Janet , I wanted to speak to you , to tell you I 'm leaving , '' she said . `` Leaving ! '' repeated Janet , who had regarded Miss Ottway as a fixture .