noon
There was soup , sardines , cold tongue , dried-apple sauce , baked potatoes , fresh bread , and preserved pears , and the last of the grapes . At table , Elinor faced the empty chair that held the miniature , for the absent lady 's right to that place was always respected . Pats sat at the end facing the door . They dined at noon . A bottle of claret was opened and they drank to the health of Uncle Sam . Toward the end of the dinner , Pats arose , and with one hand on the table to reinforce his treacherous legs , held aloft his glass . Looking over to the dog , who lay by the open door , his head upon his paws , he said : `` Solomon , here 's to a certain woman ; of all women on earth the most unselfish and forgiving , the most perfect in spirit and far and away the most beautiful -- the Ministering Angel of the Pines .