noon
When spring came Nancy returned to her former mistress , and her vacant throne remained unoccupied . Little by little the dust gathered on the big velvet chairs in the parlor , and the room was opened less and less . When the first green things commenced to send tender shoots up through the wet , brown earth , Reuben 's restlessness was very noticeable . By and by he began to go off very early in the morning , returning at noon for a hasty dinner , then away again till night . To his wife 's repeated questioning he would reply , sheepishly , `` Oh , just loafin ' , that 's all . '' And Emily was nervous , too . Of late she had taken a great fancy to a daily walk , and it always led in one direction -- down past the little brown house .