noon
When Jerome caught a glimpse of her he strove to shut away the knowledge that she did not look well from his own consciousness . But when Lucina had been at home six weeks she took a sudden turn for the better , which could have been dated accurately from a certain morning when she met Colonel Jack Lamson , she being out riding and he walking . He kept pace with the slow amble of her little white horse for some distance , sometimes grasping the bridle and stopping in a shady place to talk more at ease . When Lucina got home that noon her mother noticed a change in her . `` You look better than you have done for weeks , '' said she . `` I enjoyed my ride , '' Lucina said , with a smile and a blush which her mother could not fathom . The girl ate a dinner which gladdened her father 's heart ; afterwards she went up to her chamber , and presently came down with her hat on and her silk work-bag on her arm .