noon
`` Twelve o'clock , '' he replied , and I said that would suit me exactly . The Bishop came to dine with us that night , and after dinner , when I had gone to the window to look out over the city for the three lights on the Loggia of the Vatican , he and my father talked together for a long time in a low tone . They were still talking when I left them to go to bed . At breakfast next morning my father told me that something unexpected had occurred to require that we should return home immediately , and therefore he had sent over to Cook 's for seats by the noon express . I was deeply disappointed , but I knew my father too well to demur , so I slipped away to my room and sent a letter to Martin , explaining the change in our plans and saying good-bye to him . When we reached the station , however , I found Martin waiting on the platform in front of the compartment that was labelled with our name . I thought my father was even more brusque with him than before , and the Bishop , who was to travel with us , was curt almost to rudeness .