noon
He had never felt wider awake than now , and midnight struck . He could not keep his thoughts upon the different facets of the present adventure , but back they carried him through the studio-days , one after another , steadily , relentlessly toward the end . It was like the beating of the bass in one of those remorseless Russian symphonies ... . The ride -- the halt upon the highway at high noon -- the kiss in that glorious light -- her wonderful feminine spirit ... and then the blank until they were at her mother 's house . He never could drive his thoughts into that woodland path . From the first kiss to the tragedy and the open door , only glimpses returned , and they had nothing to do with his will ... He felt his heart in an empty rapid activity , and his scalp prickled . The captive that would not die was full of insane energy that night ... .