noon
Troy Wilkins , while pretending to be absent-mindedly fussing about a correspondence-file that morning , had forgotten that he was much married and had peered at the V. Una knew it , and the sordidness of that curiosity so embarrassed her that she stopped typing to clutch at the throat of her own high-necked blouse , her heart throbbing . She wanted to run away . She had a vague desire to `` help '' Bessie , who purred at poor , good Mr. Wilkins and winked at Una and chewed gum enjoyably , who was brave and hardy and perfectly able to care for herself -- an organism modified by the Ghetto to the life which still bewildered Una . Mr. Wilkins went home at 11.17 , after giving them enough work to last till noon . The office-boy chattily disappeared two minutes later , while Bessie went two minutes after that . Her delay was due to the adjustment of her huge straw hat , piled with pink roses and tufts of blue malines . Una stayed till twelve .