noon
You think hazily of the folk in their beds in the town left behind , who stir uneasily at the sound of your train 's departing whistle ; and so all is a blank vigil or a blank slumber . By daylight Basil and Isabel found themselves at opposite ends of the car , struggling severally with the problem of the morning 's toilet . When the combat was ended , they were surprised at the decency of their appearance , and Isabel said , `` I think I 'm presentable to an early Broadway public , and I 've a fancy for not going to a hotel . Lucy will be expecting us out there before noon ; and we can pass the time pleasantly enough for a few hours just wandering about . '' She was a woman who loved any cheap defiance of custom , and she had an agreeable sense of adventure in what she proposed . Besides , she felt that nothing could be more in the unconventional spirit in which they meant to make their whole journey than a stroll about New York at half-past six in the morning . `` Delightful ! ''