midday
No , she did not even care for a cup of tea . Yet Elinor felt confident that the voice that replied to her inquiries came neither from the bed nor the lounge , but from the direction of the front window . At three the cigars were smoked out and the host and his guest were in the library . It was Folsom 's custom , when a possible thing , to take a brief nap after the midday meal , and Elinor felt sure he would be glad of the opportunity now , if Burleigh would only go , but Burleigh would n't . In monotonous monologue his voice came floating up to the second floor , drowsy , unbroken in its soporific flow , and the girls themselves , after the morning 's drive in the clear , bracing air , felt as though forty winks would be a blessing . Could it be that Burleigh lingered on in hopes of their reappearance below ? Might it not be that if relief came not speedily Papa Folsom would yield to the spell and fall asleep in his easy-chair ?