noon
I found it comfortable . I 've slept every minute since you 've been gone . '' Then Britt hurried out , locking the door behind him . By noon that day , in the lulls between customers at the wicket , Vaniman had had a succession of run-ins with the demon of drowsiness -- a particularly mischievous elf , sometimes , in business hours . Whenever he caught himself snapping back into wakefulness he found Vona 's twinkle of amusement waiting for him . Once she pointed to the big figures on the day-by-day calendar on the wall . The date was February 21st .