noon
They made a wild and beautiful picture . Suddenly they bounded away with remarkable springy strides . The forest on the whole held to the level , open character , but there were swales and stream-beds breaking up its regular conformity . Toward noon , however , it gradually changed , a fact that Helen believed she might have observed sooner had she been more keen . The general lay of the land began to ascend , and the trees to grow denser . She made another discovery . Ever since she had entered the forest she had become aware of a fullness in her head and a something affecting her nostrils .