noon
Then , like a benediction from the God who watched over him , sleep came . The next morning broke cloudless . As the day advanced the sun grew hot . The land at noon seemed to gasp for breath . The sea lay glowing in the light ; the waves broke in slow rhythm on the sand and rocks , as if the warmth had imposed even on the Atlantic a mood of luxurious laziness . Una St. Clair and the Comtesse de Tourneville , attended by Hannah Macaulay , walked shorewards from Dunseveric House . It appeared that they were going to bathe , for they carried bundles of white sheets and coloured garments , large bundles well wrapped together and strapped .