noon
The thought of this gave her so much pleasure -- not for her own sake , but for her husband 's , whose cares and difficulties would all come to an end now , she told me . She had been back only a few days , when I left home for a day and a night , to see my aunt -- an old woman and a constant invalid , who lives at Malsham . I had put off going to her for a long time , for I did n't care about leaving Mrs. Holbrook ; but I had to go at last , my aunt thinking it hard that I could n't spare time to spend a day with her , and tidy up her house a bit , and see to the girl that waits upon her , poor helpless thing . So I started off before noon one day , after telling Mrs. Holbrook where I was going , and when I hoped to be back . She was in very good spirits that morning , for she expected her husband next day . ` I have told him nothing about the good fortune that has come to me , Nelly , ' she said ; ` I have only written to him , begging him to return as quickly as possible , and he will be here to-morrow by the afternoon express . ' Mr. Holbrook is a great walker , and generally walks from Malsham here , by a shorter way than the high-road , across some fields and by the river-bank .