noon before
What the detective had told , briefly and dryly , lived in her mind convincingly ; but Hugh 's romance , that had glowed on his tongue , now lay lifeless on her fancy . Back her mind would go to the bookshop , the gibing professor , the heavy paper-cutter . In the dawn she heard Bella get up with a deep-shaken sigh and go about her preparations for breakfast . But it was noon before the two men left . Hugh came up from his hiding-place like a man risen from the dead . They helped him to his chair before the fire ; they poured coffee down him , rubbed his blue , stiff hands . He sat looking up pitifully , his eyes turning from one to the other of them like those of a beaten hound .