noon
He thought of them but slightly , -- he thought rather of the future . He was as one of the Initiated in the old Egyptian Mysteries , who have crossed the Gate only to look more ardently for the Penetralia . He dressed himself , and was relieved to find that Merton had joined a party of his countrymen on an excursion to Ischia . He spent the heat of noon in thoughtful solitude , and gradually the image of Isabel returned to his heart . It was a holy -- for it was a human -- image ; he had resigned her , and he repented . The light of day served , if not to dissipate , at least to sober , the turbulence and fervor of the preceding night . But was it indeed too late to retract his resolve ?