noon
`` I did not mean to scold you , Frank , '' she replied , `` and if I hurt you , please forgive me . '' It was the first time she had ever used his first name and it made his heart beat high with hope . He would have there and then whispered of that hope , had it not been for his sister 's advice to wait for the right moment , and it was wise that he heeded that advice . When noon came he bought a pitcher of coffee all prepared , at a railroad lunch counter , and a cup and saucer , then spread a newspaper between them , and over it a napkin , and while she ate he held the cup and shared the edibles . It was not a gracefully eaten lunch , and yet it served to brush away much of the restraint that lay between them . When the hills of Sandgate were visible he said , `` I have an hour before the returning train , and just time enough to see you safely home . '' Alice looked at him with surprise .