noon
The picturesque appearance of the garden contrasted strongly and strangely with the rigid and staid aspect of the convent edifice , and this garden was the one spot where the pupils felt at home and thoroughly enjoyed themselves . They were allowed to walk there at noon and towards twilight in the evening , under the supervision of Sister Agatha , a sharp-sighted and vigilant nun , who never failed to rebuke and correct her vivacious charges for even the slightest infraction of discipline . Still , the girls enjoyed themselves in the garden , for its extent and the fact that Sister Agatha could not be everywhere at once enabled the frisky and light-hearted pupils to indulge in many an escapade . One noon Zuleika , who was in an unusually despondent frame of mind , strayed from the rest of her companions and strolled beneath the centenarian trees . Unconsciously she approached the lofty wall of the garden . She seated herself at the foot of a gnarled old elm , the leafy branches of which descended to the ground and effectually screened Monte-Cristo 's daughter from view . At least , so she thought , but though she could not be seen by any within the garden enclosure she was plainly visible from the wall and the trees looming above it without .