noon
Continually she prayed for his return ; but , despite her efforts , her faith grew fainter as each month crept by and her smile became more constrained and joyless . She never spoke of her anxiety , never alluded to him ; but pressed her hands over her aching heart and did her work silently -- nay , cheerfully . The day was dull , misty , and gusty . All the morning there had been a driving southeasterly rain ; but toward noon there was a lull . The afternoon was heavy and threatening , while armies of dense clouds drifted before the wind . Dr. Asbury had not yet returned from his round of evening visits ; Mrs. Asbury had gone to the asylum to see a sick child , and Georgia was dining with her husband 's mother . Beulah came home from school more than usually fatigued ; one of the assistant teachers was indisposed , and she had done double work to relieve her .