noon
Something being expected of him , he had not been at home many days before a great curiosity as to why he stayed on so long began to arise in the heath . The natural term of a holiday had passed , yet he still remained . On the Sunday morning following the week of Thomasin 's marriage a discussion on this subject was in progress at a hair-cutting before Fairway 's house . Here the local barbering was always done at this hour on this day , to be followed by the great Sunday wash of the inhabitants at noon , which in its turn was followed by the great Sunday dressing an hour later . On Egdon Heath Sunday proper did not begin till dinner-time , and even then it was a somewhat battered specimen of the day . These Sunday-morning hair-cuttings were performed by Fairway ; the victim sitting on a chopping-block in front of the house , without a coat , and the neighbours gossiping around , idly observing the locks of hair as they rose upon the wind after the snip , and flew away out of sight to the four quarters of the heavens . Summer and winter the scene was the same , unless the wind were more than usually blusterous , when the stool was shifted a few feet round the corner .