noon
I have no experience , '' said Dick , with his light-hearted laugh . Had Mrs. Wilberforce heard him , she would have found in it that absence of respect for circumstances which she considered to be one of the signs of the times ; and it had a startling and jarring effect upon the individual who did hear it , who was disturbed by it in the stillness of his morning walk and thoughts . It broke the silence of the brooding air , and awakened impertinent echoes everywhere , Nature being always glad of the opportunity . The young owner of the place was himself absorbed in a warm haze of visions , like his own trees in the hush of the noon . Any intrusion was disagreeable to him . Nevertheless , when he saw the rector he came forward with that consciousness of the necessity of looking pleased which is one of the vexations of a recluse . What did he mean by bringing men here , where nobody wanted either them or him ?