noon
He was getting fifty dollars a week , as support for a woman star , and was happy and confident . The hard work -- twelve performances a week -- left small time for idling or drinking , and Martie 's eager praise added the last touch to his content . She was happy , too , as she walked back into the darkened , orderly house . It was just noon . Isabeau , having finished her work , had departed with Teddy to see a friend in West One Hundredth Street ; John had sent Martie Maeterlinck 's `` Life of the Bee , '' and a fat , inviting brown book , `` All the Days of My Life . '' She had planned to go to the hospital next week , Wallace coming home on Sunday to act as escort , and she determined to keep the larger book for the stupid days of convalescence . She stretched herself on the dining-room couch , reached for the smaller book , and began to read .