noon
`` Hurry , Mary Lee , it is nearly train time ! '' called Mrs. Marker , where she sat in a dingy little dining-room , pouring out a cup of coffee in nervous haste for her daughter 's early breakfast . The brand-new hand-satchel on the lounge , packed for its first journey , was the only thing in the room undimmed by service . Even at this early hour the house felt hot and stuffy , for the August sun was fast warming the great Southern city to a heat that would be intolerable by noon . `` I wish you were going with Mary Lee , Henry , '' said Mrs. Marker , looking across the table at her husband as he seated himself . `` You need the rest . '' There was a weary stoop in the man 's shoulders that told of years spent over a bookkeeper 's desk , and his face was pale and worn .