midday
Both of them , in girlhood , had passed through a great deal of direct religious teaching -- and both would have shrunk amazed if called upon to make the slightest sacrifice in the name of their presumed creed . This morning , however , Alma remained at home , and one of the first things she did was to write to Sibyl , asking when it would be convenient for her friend to give her half-an-hour 's private talk . Then she wrote to Felix Dymes , addressing the letter to the care of his publishers . At midday , as Harvey had gone to town on his business with Cecil Morphew , she decided to run over to Kingsbury-Neasden and ask her friends for lunch , in return for which she would make known to them her startling project . It was a wretched day ; Hughie must not go out , and Pauline -- good creature -- would amuse him in one way and another all the afternoon . As it chanced , her surprise visit could not have been worse timed , for Mrs. Leach was in a state of collapse after a violent quarrel , the day before , with her cook-housekeeper , who quitted the house at a moment 's notice . Luncheon , in the admissible sense of the word , there was none to be had .