noon
He saw how closely compressed was his mouth , and that his eyes were wide-spread and vacant . Feeling uneasy and dissatisfied with himself for this nervous excitability , he returned to bed . Then the dawn drew on . The full power of the clear heaven was not equal to that of a cloudy sky at noon , when Boldwood arose and dressed himself . He descended the stairs and went out towards the gate of a field to the east , leaning over which he paused and looked around . It was one of the usual slow sunrises of this time of the year , and the sky , pure violet in the zenith , was leaden to the northward , and murky to the east , where , over the snowy down or ewe-lease on Weatherbury Upper Farm , and apparently resting upon the ridge , the only half of the sun yet visible burnt rayless , like a red and flameless fire shining over a white hearthstone . The whole effect resembled a sunset as childhood resembles age .