noon
In the strong sense of general disaster which he was struggling under , those mortgages seemed almost visible to the eye . He was glad when he had left the town behind him , and was marching on between stretches of uncultivated prairie and bare reddish hillocks . They , at least , stood for what they were , -- and see , how the wildflowers had thrust themselves up through the harsh gritty sand ; that great tract of yellow vetches , for instance , that had brought up out of the earth a glory of gold that might well put all Lame Gulch to the blush ! Over yonder stood the Range , not beautiful , in the uncompromising noon light , but strong and steadfast , with an almost moral vigor in its outlines . He had lost sight of the milk-cart altogether , and was plodding on , simply because there seemed to be nothing better to do with himself . He presently came opposite a low , conical hill which he recognized as `` Mt. Washington , '' -- a hill whose elevation above sea-level was said to be precisely that of New England 's loftiest peak . Wakefield reflected that he was never likely to reach that classic altitude with less exertion than to-day , and that on the whole it would be rather pleasant than otherwise to find himself at that particular height .