noon
Now the faintest shadow of a smile , coming and going ; again beneath the curve of her long lashes , a softer gleaming in the dark eyes , adding new charm to the pale , proud face . Around them nature seemed fraught with forgetfulness ; the Libyan peace that knows not where or wherefore . Rocked in the cradle of ruts and furrows , Hans , portly as a carboy , half-dozed on the front seat . Shortly before noon they approached an ancient hostelry , set well back from the road . To the manager 's dismay , however , the door was locked and boards were nailed across the windows . Even the water pail , hospitably placed for man or beast , had been removed from its customary proximity to the wooden pump . Abandoned to decay , the tenantless inn was but another evidence of traffic diverted from the old stage roads by the Erie Canal Company .