noon
Gladly would Clara have fled to a place of safety , had it been in her power ; but there was no one to accompany or watch over her , and as she was forced to witness the horrors of the season a sort of despair seemed to nerve her trembling frame . Mrs. Watson had been among the first to leave the city . Madam St. Cymon had disbanded her school ; and , as only her three daughters continued to take music lessons , Beulah had ample leisure to contemplate the distressing scenes which surrounded her . At noon , one September day , she stood at the open window of her room . The air was intensely hot ; the drooping leaves of the China trees were motionless ; there was not a breath of wind stirring ; and the sable plumes of the hearses were still as their burdens . The brazen , glittering sky seemed a huge glowing furnace , breathing out only scorching heat . Beulah leaned out of the window , and , wiping away the heavy drops that stood on her brow , looked down the almost deserted street .