noon
Had he detected me playing a part , or were such doubts as he displayed the product simply of his own uneasiness ? I was not able to decide , and , with this unanswered question added to the number already troubling me , I was forced to face the day which , for aught I knew , might be the precursor of many others equally trying and unsatisfactory . But help was near . Before noon I received a message from my uncle to the effect that if I could be spared he would be glad to see me at his home as near three o'clock as possible . What could he want of me ? I could not guess , and it was with great inner perturbation that , having won Mr. Grey 's permission , I responded to his summons . I found my uncle awaiting me in a carriage before his own door , and I took my seat at his side without the least idea of his purpose .