noon
But what with its being a spring-tide , and the sea breaking clean over the great outer beach of pebbles -- a thing that had not happened for fifty years -- there was so much water piled up in the lagoon , that it passed its bounds and flooded all the sea meadows , and even the lower end of the street . So when day broke , there was the churchyard flooded , though 't was on rising ground , and the church itself standing up like a steep little island , and the water over the door-sill of the Why Not ? , though Elzevir Block would not budge , saying he did not care if the sea swept him away . It was but a nine-hours ' wonder , for the wind fell very suddenly ; the water began to go back , the sun shone bright , and before noon people came out to the doors to see the floods and talk over the storm . Most said that never had been so fierce a wind , but some of the oldest spoke of one in the second year of Queen Anne , and would have it as bad or worse . But whether worse or not , this storm was a weighty matter enough for me , and turned the course of my life , as you shall hear . I have said that the waters came up so high that the church stood out like an island ; but they went back quickly , and Mr. Glennie was able to hold service on the next Sunday morning .