noon
She dressed herself very tastefully and went into the garden . The weather was splendid : it was one of the finest days of the summer . The sun , which had almost reached the meridian , shed its most ardent rays ; but a pleasant coolness reigned under the leafy arcades ; and the flowers , warmed by the sun , exhaled their sweetest perfume . The pretty mistress of the house had quite forgotten that it was noon at least , and that her husband was still asleep . Already she heard the snores of two coachmen and a groom , who were taking their siesta in the stable , after having dined copiously . But she was still sitting in a bower from which the deserted high road could be seen , when all at once her attention was caught by a light cloud of dust rising in the distance . After looking at it for some moments , she ended by making out several vehicles , closely following one another .