noon
`` Not on his account , you 'll not be , '' replied Alice with a snap , and it is likely that moment she meant it too . And what a gallant escort that brother was ! And what a change from the dull monotony of her home life those days were to Alice ! They hunted for houses and visited art galleries mornings , lunched at Parker 's at noon , and devoted the afternoons and evenings to theatres . Then after that usually a _ tête-à-tête _ supper at a cozy place where the best was to be had , and a little chat in his or her room before retiring . It was during one of these brief visits that she noticed some of the pictures that hung in his room . `` Who painted that shipwreck scene ? ''