noon
And I pretend to be reading and try very hard to look handsome and interesting ... . Mother ! ... just now I rested my hand on the arm of my chair and the wood felt hot to the touch ! It 's high noon and the sun 's been on it since eight o'clock , but still it seems very wonderful . Willcox says that the winter is practically over ; but I begged him not to hurry ... '' Such was the usual trend of his letters . But that one dated March 7 began with the following astonishing statement : `` I love Aiken ... '' and went on to explain why . But Mister Masters was not allowed to love Aiken until he had come through the whole gauntlet of gossip .