noon
A fine mist hung in the trees , and the leaves and grasses sagged under their burden of moisture . All the crimson and gold had changed to brown and gray , and the birds and crickets had evidently packed away their chirps and retired for the season . By the light of a flickering candle , Mr. D. Webster Opp partook of a frugal breakfast . The luxurious habits of the Moore household had made breakfast a movable feast depending upon the time of Aunt Tish 's arrival , and in establishing the new régime Mr. Opp had found it necessary to prepare his own breakfast in order to make sure of getting to the office before noon . As he sipped his warmed-over coffee , with his elbows on the red table-cloth , and his heels hooked on the rung of the chair , he recited to himself in an undertone from a very large and imposing book which was propped in front of him , the leaves held back on one side by a candlestick and on the other by a salt-cellar . It was a book which Mr. Opp was buying on subscription , and it was called `` An Encyclopedia of Wonder , Beauty , and Wisdom . '' It contained pellets of information on all subjects , and Mr. Opp made it a practice to take several before breakfast , and to repeat the dose at each meal as circumstances permitted .