midday
When she was not speaking she had sat with fixed , distended eyes . Coupeau was before them all the time . The next day she said to herself when she rose that she would never go to the hospital again ; she could do no good . But as midday arrived she could stay away no longer and started forth , without a thought of the length of the walk , so great were her mingled curiosity and anxiety . She was not obliged to ask a question ; she heard the frightful sounds at the very foot of the stairs . The keeper , who was carrying a cup of tisane across the corridor , stopped when he saw her . `` He keeps it up well ! ''