noon
Nearly an hour went by ; I entered the shop and searched its labyrinth of `` departments . '' But I could not distinguish her anywhere . Upstairs and downstairs I went , inquiring here and there , but nobody seemed to have seen the fair young lady in black ; the great emporium seemed to have swallowed her up . It was now noon . Even though she might have been through a dress-fitting ordeal , an hour was certainly ample time . Therefore I began to fear that she had missed me . There were several other exits higher up the street , and also one which I discovered in a side street .