midday
As the canoe went swiftly down the flood , lights sprung up in the house it was leaving behind . A man , rising from his chair with a heavy sigh , walked to the parlor window and looked out upon lawn and sky and river , but , so dark had it grown , saw not the canoe ; thought only how deserted , how desolate and lonely , was the scene . * * * * * In Williamsburgh as at Westover the autumn was dying , the winter was coming , but neither farewell nor greeting perturbed the cheerful town . To and fro through Palace and Nicholson and Duke of Gloucester streets were blown the gay leaves ; of early mornings white frosts lay upon the earth like fairy snows , but midday and afternoon were warm and bright . Mistress Stagg 's garden lay to the south , and in sheltered corners bloomed marigolds and asters , while a vine , red-leafed and purple-berried , made a splendid mantle for the playhouse wall . Within the theatre a rehearsal of `` Tamerlane '' was in progress . Turk and Tartar spoke their minds , and Arpasia 's death cry clave the air .