noon
Until then , he had not known how weary he was , nor how the long weeks of anxiety and fruitless effort had racked him to the soul . As one may bear a burden bravely , yet faint the moment it is lifted , his strength failed him in the very hour that he had no need of it . He sat there for a long time before he was able to shut off the light and creep into bed , with his tear-wet cheek pillowed upon one telegram , and a wrinkled hand closely clasping the other , as though holding fast to the message meant the keeping of the hope it brought . Utterly exhausted , he slept until noon . When he woke , it was with the feeling that something vitally important had happened . He could not remember what it was until he heard the rustling of paper and saw the two telegrams . He read them once more , in the clear light of day , fearing to find the message but a fantasy of the night .