noon
She sat during the morning session , her eyes on the clock , fearing miserably the moment of dismissal at noon , when she must take some action -- she who only longed to run away from discord and dwell in peace . Her mind swung , pendulum-like , from one extreme of feeling to another . Every time that Camilla smiled at her across the heads of the other children , sullenly oblivious of their former favorite , Sylvia turned sick with shame and pity . But when her eyes rested on the hard , hostile faces which made up her world , the world she had to live in , the world which had been so full of sweet and innocent happiness for her , the world which would now be ranged with her or against her according to her decision at noon , she was overcome by a panic at the very idea of throwing her single self against this many-headed tyrant . With an unspeakable terror she longed to feel the safe walls of conformity about her . There was a battle with drawn swords in the heart of the little girl trying blindly to see where the _ n _ came in `` pneumonia . '' The clock crept on , past eleven , towards twelve .