midday
Visions of being received there , of meeting rich and aristocratic people , of taking her place at last in society , the place that belonged to her as Edmund 's wife , in spite of his queer miserly ways , ran again lightly through a mind that often harboured such dreams before -- in vain . Her brow cleared . She made Thyrza leave the curtains , and sit down to gossip with her . And Thyrza , though perfectly conscious , as the daughter of a hard-working race , that to sit gossiping at midday was a sinful thing , was none the less willing to sin ; and she chattered on in a Westmoreland dialect that grew steadily broader as she felt herself more at ease , till Mrs. Melrose could scarcely follow her . But she managed to seize on the facts that concerned her . Lady Tatham , it seemed , was a widow , with an only boy , a lad of seven , who was the heir to Duddon Castle , and its great estates . The Castle was ten miles from the Tower .