About noon
It did not seem worth while to discuss opinions , while the terrible facts of the position were appealing to every sense . As the day went on , the conflict evidently became closer and fiercer . Ortiz went back to the city , and the three lonely women knelt upon the house-top , listening in terror to the tumult of the battle . About noon the firing ceased , and an awful silence -- a silence that made the ears ache to be relieved of it -- followed . `` All is over ! '' moaned Antonia , and she covered her face with her hands and sobbed bitterly . Isabel had already exhausted tears .