midday
I thrilled with awe at the thought of it ; and I prayed God then to hold me firm and steadfast to my purpose . Miela must have divined my thoughts , for she said simply : `` You will have great power here , Alan ; and it is in my heart that you will succeed . '' We slid back one of the heavy metallic curtains and looked out through the thick glass of the window . It was daylight -- a diffused daylight like that of a cloudy midday on my own earth . An utterly barren waste met my gaze . We seemed to have landed in a narrow valley . Huge cliffs rose on both sides to a height of a thousand feet or more .