noon
I desired that I might pass my life on that barren rock , wearily , it is true , but uninterrupted by any sudden shock of misery . If I returned , it was to be sacrificed , or to see those whom I most loved die under the grasp of a dæmon whom I had myself created . I walked about the isle like a restless spectre , separated from all it loved , and miserable in the separation . When it became noon , and the sun rose higher , I lay down on the grass , and was overpowered by a deep sleep . I had been awake the whole of the preceding night , my nerves were agitated , and my eyes inflamed by watching and misery . The sleep into which I now sunk refreshed me ; and when I awoke , I again felt as if I belonged to a race of human beings like myself , and I began to reflect upon what had passed with greater composure ; yet still the words of the fiend rung in my ears like a death-knell , they appeared like a dream , yet distinct and oppressive as a reality . The sun had far descended , and I still sat on the shore , satisfying my appetite , which had become ravenous , with an oaten cake , when I saw a fishing-boat land close to me , and one of the men brought me a packet ; it contained letters from Geneva , and one from Clerval , entreating me to join him .