noon
One of his own ships was on the point of sailing that very day . He went on board -- after cleaning himself -- got Brooks to wind up their business relations in the cabin , and left for England with a fair wind . And well was it for the bald little old gentleman that he did so , for , a few days later , strange sounds and appearances were in the air and on the sea . Fine ashes filled the sky , so that noon became like midnight , and everything betokened that something unusually violent must have occurred in the land which they had left . Nothing more serious , however , befell our voyager . In due course he reached England , hastened home , and , without warning , burst in upon his wife while that dear little old lady was in the act of remarking to the middle-aged cat , in a very dolorous tone , that she feared something must have happened to the ship , for her darlings could never have been so long of writing if all had gone well . It was while the cat gazed contemplatively at the everlasting socks , as if meditating a reply , that old Rigonda burst in .