noon
Evidently there was no treason to be apprehended and she must obey the invitation , though it disturbed her greatly ; but she was a cautious woman , with not only her heart but her brains and tongue in the right place , and she at once made up her mind what must be done under the circumstances . While she gave a few decorative touches to her person she handed the tablet to the waiting-woman , whom she had taken into her own room , and desired her to carry it at once to her husband , and tell him whither she had gone , and to beg him to return without delay to take care of Dada . But what if her husband and son could not come away ? The girl would be left quite alone , and then ... The picture rose before her anxious mind of Marcus appearing on the scene and tempting Dada on shore -- of her niece stealing away by herself even , if the young Christian failed to discover her present residence -- loitering alone along the Canopic way or the Bruclumn , where , at noon , all that was most disreputable in Alexandria was to be seen at this time of year -- she saw , shuddered , considered -- and suddenly thought of an expedient which seemed to promise an issue from the difficulty . It was nothing new and a favorite trick among the Egyptians ; she had seen is turned to account by a lame tailor at whose house her father had lodged , when he had to go out to his customers and leave his young negress wife alone at home . Dada was lying barefoot on the deck : Herse would hide her shoes . She hastily acted on this idea , locking up not only Dada 's sandals , but also Agne 's and her own , in the trunk they had saved ; a glance at the slave 's feet assured her that hers could be of no use .