noon
* * * * * The crown and the congratulation were conveyed to the Temple . When the High Priest read the request of the Proconsul , that Saronia should present them , he smiled , saying : ` Let it be so . ' Saronia thought the request unusual , but the priest said : ` Foster the whim ; no harm can come of it . ' * * * * * It was past noon ; the great sun shone out with refulgent glory . Not a cloud sailed the azure depths . The birds were sheltering from the heat between the branches of the citron-trees . An eagle flew by flapping its wings as Chios met the Roman at the gateway of the Sacred Shrine .