noon
It was now within a few minutes of midnight -- one half of his first day gone before he had more than raised the glass to his lips . He felt for a moment the petulant annoyance of a man imposed upon -- as though Time were playing him unfairly ; until today the hours had dragged heavily enough ; now they sped like arrows . -LSB- Illustration : _ Facing her he faced the pendulum which ticked out to him the cost of each new picture he had of her _ -RSB- And yet he did not count the time as ill spent . Though he had anticipated nothing of this sort , he found himself enjoying the situation with as deep a satisfaction as anything which had so far occurred in the swift hours which had sped by since noon . Outside lay the quick-moving throngs which he so loved , in his room there waited for him the gentle marine , the bit of brown ivory , the luxury of deep blooming roses , and yet he was not conscious of missing them . Those things had been waiting for him all through the long tedious years , and this -- well perhaps this , too , had been waiting for him . He wondered if this effect was produced by the surroundings which were much as he would have chosen them if he had possessed the means from the first .