noon
An unaccustomed languor clung about her ; her eyes had shadows , as though she had not slept ; colour glowed softly in her cheeks , her frock seemed all alight with golden radiance . She made Shelton pull into the reeds , and plucked two rounded lilies sailing like ships against slow-moving water . `` Pull into the shade , please , '' she said ; `` it 's too hot out here . '' The brim of her linen hat kept the sun from her face , but her head was drooping like a flower 's head at noon . Shelton saw that the heat was really harming her , as too hot a day will dim the icy freshness of a northern plant . He dipped his sculls , the ripples started out and swam in grave diminuendo till they touched the banks . He shot the boat into a cleft , and caught the branches of an overhanging tree .