midday
At so strange an appearance , Thaddeus drew back ; but supposing that it might be a custom of the country , he proceeded through this fair bevy , and bowed as he walked along to the low curtesies which they continued to make , until he entered his apartment and closed the door . The unhappy are ever restless ; they hope in every change of situation to obtain some alteration in their feelings . Thaddeus was too miserable awake not to view with eagerness the bed on which he trusted that , for a few hours at least , he might lose the consciousness of his desolation , with its immediate suffering . When he awoke in the morning , his head ached , and he felt as unrefreshed as when he had lain down ; he undrew the curtain , and saw , from the strength of the light , it must be midday . He got up ; and having dressed himself , descended to the sitting-room , where he found a good fire and the breakfast already placed . He rang the bell , and walked to the window , to observe the appearance of the morning . A heavy snow had fallen during the night ; and the sun , ascended to its meridian , shone through the thick atmosphere like a ball of fire .