noon
So it 's prayin ' away I am , honey , '' said old Biddy , whom Theresa could not help hating heart sickly . `` But like enough the Lord might know better than to be mindin ' a word I say . '' And it seemed that He did ; at any way the day soon came when the heavy blue cloak passed into Mrs. Kilfoyle 's possession . At that time it was clear , still autumn weather , with just a sprinkle of frost , white on the wayside grass , like the wraith of belated moonlight , when the sun rose , and shimmering into rainbow stars by noon . But about a month later the winter swooped suddenly on Lisconnel : with wild winds and cold rain that made crystal-silver streaks down the purple of the great mountain-heads peering in over our bogland . So one perishing Saturday Mrs. Kilfoyle made up her mind that she would wear her warm legacy on the bleak walk to Mass next morning , and reaching it down from where it was stowed away among the rafters wrapped in an old sack , she shook it respectfully out of its straight-creased folds . As she did so she noticed that the binding of the hood had ripped in one place , and that the lining was fraying out , a mishap which should be promptly remedied before it spread any further .