noon
Sometimes a sudden gust seemed to bear upon it confused voices and the tramp of hurrying feet ; and then he would knit his brow and clench his hand , with the apprehension that they had found his enemy , and were bringing him to the door . Not the slightest fear of the consequences to himself in such a case agitated his mind ; he had quite resolved what to do , and that no prison walls should ever hem him in again ; but the bare idea that Solomon should escape his vengeance drove him to the brink of frenzy . He would have left the place at once , but that he thought the coincidence of his departure with the disappearance of his foe might possibly awaken suspicion ; so he staid on through the day , waiting for the news which he knew must arrive sooner or later . At noon he thought the landlady wore an unusually grave air , and he felt impelled to ask her what was the matter . But then , if there was nothing -- if she only looked sour , as folks often did , just because it was Sunday -- she might think him too curious . From his window , a little later , he saw a knot of people in the rain talking eagerly together , and one of them pointing with his hand toward Gethin . But they were too far off to be overheard , and he did not dare go down and interrogate them .