noon
And yet her resolution remained firm , for it was part and parcel of her inmost self , and was guarded by pride on the one hand and an unalterable belief in fate on the other . To-day they sat together , as they had so often sat , among the flowers and the trees in the vast conservatory , she in her tall , carved chair and he upon a lower seat before her . They had been silent for some minutes . It was not yet noon , but it might have been early morning in a southern island , so soft was the light , so freshly scented the air , so peaceful the tinkle of the tiny fountain . Unorna 's expression was sad , as she gazed in silence at the man she loved . There was something gone from his face , she thought , since she had first seen him , and it was to bring that something back that she would give her life and her soul if she could . Suddenly her lips moved and a sad melody trembled in the air .