an hour after noon
The quiet lapped me round . I could fancy that I had never loved anything else . The wood-doves cooed in the stillness ; occasionally the harsh cry of a jay jarred the silence . It was an hour after noon , and hot . I think I nodded . On a sudden , as if in a dream , I saw Clon 's face peering at me round the angle of the parlour door . He looked , and in a moment withdrew , and I heard whispering .