midday
That night passed quietly at the Court . Hallin was at intervals slightly delirious , but less so than the night before ; and in the early morning the young doctor , who had sat up with him , reported him to Aldous as calmer and a little stronger . But the heart mischief was hopeless , and might bring the bruised life to an end at any moment . He could not , however , be kept in bed , owing to restlessness and difficulty of breathing , and by midday he was in Aldous 's sitting-room , drawn close to the window , that he might delight his eyes with the wide range of wood and plain that it commanded . After a very wet September , the October days were now following each other in a settled and sunny peace . The great woods of the Chilterns , just yellowing towards that full golden moment -- short , like all perfection , -- which only beeches know , rolled down the hill-slopes to the plain , their curving lines cut here and there by straight fir stems , drawn clear and dark on the pale background of sky and lowland . In the park , immediately below the window , groups of wild cherry and of a slender-leaved maple made spots of `` flame and amethyst '' on the smooth falling lawns ; the deer wandered and fed , and the squirrels were playing and feasting among the beech nuts .