nearly noon
She was good enough now for Hale , oh , yes , she thought bitterly , good enough NOW ; and then , remembering his life-long kindness and thinking what she might have been but for him , she burst into tears at the unworthiness of her own thought . Ah , what should she do -- what should she do ? Repeating that question over and over again , she fell toward morning into troubled sleep . She did not wake until nearly noon , for already she had formed the habit of sleeping late -- late at least , for that part of the world -- and she was glad when the negro boy brought her word that Mr. Hale had been called up the valley and would not be back until the afternoon . She dreaded to meet him , for she knew that he had seen the trouble within her and she knew he was not the kind of man to let matters drag vaguely , if they could be cleared up and settled by open frankness of discussion , no matter how blunt he must be . She had to wait until mid-day dinner time for something to eat , so she lay abed , picked a breakfast from the menu , which was spotted , dirty and meagre in offerings , and had it brought to her room . Early in the afternoon she issued forth into the sunlight , and started toward Imboden Hill .