Noon
He dared not go to her -- so he waited . He heard her moving about inside the room . A half-hour passed , then an hour . Noon came and went . The fire was out , and dinner , apparently , was as distant as it had been two hours before . Jared fell asleep in his hard chair , his dishevelled head lying on his arms folded on the bare table . When he awoke it was three o'clock and Joyce stood before him .