nearly noon
` Do I care for his _ femme de ménage _ ? ' The great door of the house would be open now , and the stairs no longer affrighting , and I might slip unobserved away . But I could not bring myself to leave until I had spoken with Diaz , and I would not wake him . It was nearly noon when he stirred . I heard his movements , and a slight moaning sigh , and he called me . ` Are you there , Magda ? ' How feeble and appealing his voice !