noon
After this they rode on as rapidly as they dared , and about midnight arrived at the inn where the relay of horses was awaiting them . -LSB- Illustration -RSB- The inn was a rambling old thatched-roofed structure , half mud , half wood , and all filth . There are many inns in England that are tidy enough , but this one was a little off the main road -- selected for that reason -- and the uncleanness was not the least of Mary 's trials that hard night . She had not tasted food since noon , and felt the keen hunger natural to youth and health such as hers , after twelve hours of fasting and eight hours of riding . Her appetite soon overcame her repugnance , and she ate , with a zest that was new to her , the humblest fare that had ever passed her lips . One often misses the zest of life 's joys by having too much of them . One must want a thing before it can be appreciated .