noon
No note of human strife entered here , nor hum of noisy business marts ; and the solemn silence , so profound and holy , was broken only by the soft , mysterious murmur of the immemorial ocean , as its crystal fingers smote the harp of rosy shells and golden sands . Clasped in the crescent that curved a mile northward lay the house , and grove , and grounds of `` Solitude , '' looking sombre in the distance , as the shadow of surrounding hills fell upon the dense foliage that overhung its quiet precincts , and toned down the garish red of the boat-house roof , which lent a brief dash of color to the peaceful picture . Beyond the last guarding promontory that seemed to have plunged through the shelving strand to bathe in blue brine and cut off all passage along its base , a strong well-trained eye might follow the trend of the coast even to the dim outlines and thread-like masts , that told where the distant town hugged its narrow harbor ; and , in the opposite direction , low , irregular sand hills and brown marshes crept southward , as if hunting the warmth that alone could mantle them with living verdure . As the afternoon wore away , the sinking sun dipped suddenly behind a wooded eminence , which , losing the warm purples it had worn since noon , grew chill and blue as his rays departed ; and , weary of her work , Salome put it aside and began to practise her music lesson , beating time with her slender fingers on the bare juniper-roots , from which wind and rain had driven the soil . Running her chromatic scales , and pausing at will to trill upon any minor note that wooed her vagrant fancy , she played with her flexible voice as dexterous violinists toy with the obedient strings they hold in harmonious bondage to their bows . Finally she pushed the exercises away , and began a _ fantasus _ from `` Traviata , '' which she had heard Mr. Barilli play several times ; and so absorbed was she in testing her capacity for vocal gymnastics that she failed to observe the moving figure dwarfed by distance and pacing the sands in front of `` Solitude . '' The rich , fresh tones which seemed occasionally to tremble with the excess of melody that burdened them played hide-and-seek among the hills , startling whole choruses of deep-throated echoes , and attending and retentive ocean , catching the strains on her beryl strings , bore them whither -- and how far ?