noon
Therefore , she must reach it before he did so . Afterwards -- but she would not consider the future then , and , if she could but warn him , nothing mattered greatly , neither physical peril nor the risk of her good name . It was long before Millicent Leslie had thought all this out , but when once her way seemed clear , exhausted by conflicting emotions , she sank into heavy slumber , and the sun was high before she awakened . Leslie had gone to his office , and she ate a little , chose her thickest furs , and waited for noon in feverish suspense . Her husband might return and prevent her departure by force . She feared that , should he guess her intention , a special locomotive might be hired , even after the train had started . It was , therefore , necessary to slip away without word or sign , unless , indeed , she could mislead him , and , smiling mirthlessly , she laid an open letter inside her writing-case .