noon
She looked a long time at the little roses in the basin of water , where she had put them ; then she sighed , and went away to heavier tasks , while her mother worked in the kitchen with Malena . Alice dusted the `` living-room '' and the dining-room vigorously , though all the time with a look that grew more and more pensive ; and having dusted everything , she wiped the furniture ; rubbed it hard . After that , she washed the floors and the woodwork . Emerging from the kitchen at noon , Mrs. Adams found her daughter on hands and knees , scrubbing the bases of the columns between the hall and the `` living-room . '' `` Now , dearie , '' she said , `` you must n't tire yourself out , and you 'd better come and eat something . Your father said he 'd get a bite down-town to-day -- he was going down to the bank -- and Walter eats down-town all the time lately , so I thought we would n't bother to set the table for lunch . Come on and we 'll have something in the kitchen . ''