midday
Her voice trailed off into an indistinct murmur . He heard the receiver click on the hook , and , after calling `` hello '' twice , hung up his own with a sigh . Evidently O'Dowd had warned her of the approach of a less considerate person than himself . The hour for the midday dinner approached and there was no sign of Miss Thackeray 's return from the woods . Barnes sat for two exasperating hours on the porch and listened to the confident , flamboyant oratory of Mr. Lyndon Rushcroft . His gaze constantly swept the line of trees , and there were times when he failed to hear a word in whole sentences that rolled from the lips of the actor . He was beginning to feel acutely uneasy , when suddenly her figure issued from the woods at a point just above the Tavern .