noon
She remembered with anguish , how , on first touching the shores of America , almost the very first word that met her ear had been from _ him _ , the brother whom she had killed , about the ` Pussy ' of times long past ; how the gallant young man had hung upon her words , as in her native Basque she described her own mischievous little self , of twelve years back ; how his color went and came , whilst his loving memory of the little sister was revived by her own descriptive traits , giving back , as in a mirror , the fawn-like grace , the squirrel-like restlessness , that once had kindled his own delighted laughter ; how he would take no denial , but showed on the spot , that , simply to have touched -- to have kissed -- to have played with the little wild thing , that glorified , by her innocence , the gloom of St. Sebastian 's cloisters , gave a _ right _ to his hospitality ; how , through _ him _ only , she had found a welcome in camps ; how , through _ him _ , she had found the avenue to honor and distinction . And yet this brother , so loving and generous , it was that she had dismissed from life . She paused ; she turned round , as if looking back for his grave ; she saw the dreadful wildernesses of snow which already she had traversed . Silent they were at this season , even as in the panting heats of noon , the Zaarrahs of the torrid zone are oftentimes silent . Dreadful was the silence ; it was the nearest thing to the silence of the grave . Graves were at the foot of the Andes , _ that _ she knew too well ; graves were at the summit of the Andes , _ that _ she saw too well . And , as she gazed , a sudden thought flashed upon her , when her eyes settled upon the corpses of the poor deserters -- could she , like _ them _ , have been all this while unconsciously executing judgment upon herself ?