noon
He , too , was in a hurry , worn with fatigue and anxiety . At first , he had been merely anxious to overtake the old man , to obtain restitution . But with the wayside gossip prevailing , other fears entered his mind . One day at noon time , they entered a village apparently deserted . The heavy gates of the compounds were closed , not a person visible in the long , straggling street . Every one had withdrawn himself into his house , behind locked and bolted doors . At the inn , they pounded repeatedly on the gates , asking admission .