noon
Talk of the kaleidoscope ! At a turn of the wrist , as it were , the elements of society had taken a perfectly novel shape here . Was it only a matter of grouping and setting , or were these people different from all others the tourists had seen ? There was a lively scene in the hotel corridor , the spacious office with its long counters and post-office , when the noon mail was opened and the letters called out . So many pretty girls , with pet dogs of all degrees of ugliness -LRB- dear little objects of affection overflowing and otherwise running to waste -- one of the most pathetic sights in this sad world -RRB- , jaunty suits with a nautical cut , for boating and rock-climbing , family groups , so much animation and excitement over the receipt of letters , so much well-bred chaffing and friendliness , such an air of refinement and `` style , '' but withal so homelike . These people were `` guests '' of the proprietors , who nevertheless felt a sort of proprietorship themselves in the little island , and were very much like a company together at sea . For living on this island is not unlike being on shipboard at sea , except that this rock does not heave about in a nauseous way .