noon
he asked of his wife when he found her , `` do you know who it is Anice is amusing in the parlor ? What singular fancies the girl has , with all her good sense ! '' CHAPTER XII - On Guard Though they saw comparatively little of each other , the friendly feeling established between Anice and Joan , in their first interview , gained strength gradually as time went on . Coming home from her work at noon or at night , Joan would see traces of Anice 's presence , and listen to Liz 's praises of her . Liz was fond of her and found comfort in her . The days when the gray pony came to a stop in his jog-trot on the roadside before the gate had a kind of pleasurable excitement in them . They were the sole spice of her life .