middays
He shrugged his shoulders , and went on his way not rejoicing . The judge 's faith in the reasonableness of mankind having received a staggering blow , there began a somewhat furtive existence for himself , for Solomon Mahaffy , and for the boy . They kept to little frequented byways , and usually it was the early hours of morning , or the cool of late afternoons when they took the road . The heat of silent middays found them lounging beside shady pools , where the ripple of fretted waters filled the pauses in their talk . It was then that the judge and Mahaffy exchanged views on literature and politics , on religion and politics , on the public debt and politics , on canals and national roads and more politics . They could and did honestly differ at great length and with unflagging energy on these vital topics , especially politics , for they were as far apart mentally as they were close together morally . Mahaffy , morose and embittered , regarded the life they were living as an unmixed hardship .