noon
She did not stir , that she might not disturb the sleep he sought and needed , and twice held her breath , for he was talking to himself . First he murmured softly : `` Heavy , too heavy , '' and then : `` If I can only bear it . '' When she awoke next morning , he had already left the room and gone to the town-hall . At noon he returned home , saying that the Spaniards had taken the Hague and been hailed with delight by the pitiful adherents of the king . Fortunately , the well-disposed citizens and Beggars had had time to escape to Delft , for brave Nicolas Ruichhaver had held the foe in check for a time at Geestburg . The west was still open , and the newly - fortified fort of Valkenburg , garrisoned by the English soldiers , would not be so easy to storm . On the east , other British auxiliaries were posted at Alfen in the Spaniards ' rear .