About noon
All morning Barbara pondered on how she could find a pawn shop in Washington , without asking questions and without being discovered . Her cheeks burned with humiliation and disgust at the very name pawn shop ! Still Mollie must never know how much she dreaded her errand , and her mother must be spared the knowledge of their debt at any cost . About noon the Hamlin house was perfectly quiet . Grace and Ruth had gone out sight-seeing and Harriet and Mollie were both in their rooms . Mr. Hamlin was over at his office in the State Department . Bab had taken a book and gone downstairs to the library , pretending she meant to read , but really only desiring to think .