midday of September
This is justice , and I can no other than pursue it . It will not grieve you where you are . '' He turned and buried his face in the pillow . `` O brother -- O friend -- '' The emotion passed and he lay staring at the ceiling , reconstructing midday of September the seventh beside Indian Run . The library at Fontenoy lay west and north . In the afternoon the sun struck through the windows and through the glass door , brightening the tall clock-face , the faint gilt and brown of old books , and the portrait of Henry Churchill with the swords crossed beneath . Upon the forenoon in question , and even though the month was May , the room looked a sombre place , chill and dusk , shaded and grave as a hermit 's cell .