midday
Some tremor of pity for her entered into my consciousness , without mitigating greatly the wildness of my resentment , of my forebodings . I could bear no longer the city , the Club , the office , the daily contact with my associates and clients . Six hours distant , near Rossiter , was a small resort in the mountains of which I had heard . I telegraphed Nancy to address me there , notified the office , packed my bag , and waited impatiently for midday , when I boarded the train . At seven I reached a little station where a stage was waiting to take me to Callender 's Mill . It was not until morning that I beheld my retreat , when little wisps of vapour were straying over the surface of the lake , and the steep green slopes that rose out of the water on the western side were still in shadow . The hotel , a much overgrown and altered farm-house , stood , surrounded by great trees , in an ancient clearing that sloped gently to the water 's edge , where an old-fashioned , octagonal summerhouse overlooked a landing for rowboats .