noon
Only two letters , but one was a very long one -- to Amalia Manovska . Out in the world he dared not use her own name , so he addressed the envelope to Miss McBride , in Larry Kildene 's care , at the nearest station to which they had agreed letters should be sent . Before he finished the second letter the gong sounded for dinner . The noon meal was always dinner at the hotel . He thrust his papers and the unfinished letter in his valise and locked it -- and went below . G. B. Stiles was already there , seated in the same place as on the day before , and Harry took his seat opposite him , and they began a conversation in the same facile way , but the manner of the dry-goods salesman towards him seemed to have undergone a change . It had lost its swagger , and was more that of a man who could be a gentleman if he chose , while to the surprise of Stiles the manner of the young man was as disarmingly quiet and unconcerned as before , and as abstracted .