noon
From eleven to twelve was the time for Mary 's duty as amanuensis . Sometimes there were no letters to be written . Sometimes there were several ; but her ladyship rarely allowed the task to go beyond the stroke of noon . At noon Mary was free , and free till five o'clock , when she was generally in attendance , ready to give Lady Maulevrier her afternoon tea , and sit and talk with her , and tell her any scraps of local news which she had gathered in the day . There were days on which her ladyship preferred to take her tea alone , and Mary was left free to follow her own devices till dinner-time . ` I do not feel equal even to your society to-day , my dear , ' her ladyship would say ; ` go and enjoy yourself with your dogs and your tennis ; ' forgetting that there was very seldom anybody on the premises with whom Lady Mary could play tennis . But in these lonely days of Mary Haselden 's life there was one crowning bliss which was almost enough to sweeten solitude , and take away the sting of separation ; and that was the delight of expecting and receiving her lover 's letters .