noon
But to Bob such a course seemed too much like submitting to what was a deliberate wrong , perpetrated under the guise of justice , and he preferred the expense , rather than even the semblance of `` backing down . '' The officer may or may not have had a disagreeable time in the pursuance of his duty while Ralph and George were in town ; but to Bob it was certainly anything but pleasant , since he had great difficulty in not coming to an open conflict with this personification of law , brought in to aid fraud . It seemed to the ex-moonlighter as if his companions would never return , and once at least during every ten minutes he walked toward the house , in the hope of seeing them as they came up the lane . It was not until quite two hours past noon that his vigil was rewarded , and then he saw them coming toward the house with a fourth party in the wagon , whom he rightly conjectured was the lawyer whom they had been to consult . `` Well , '' he cried , even before they had had time to alight from the wagon ; `` how have you made out ? '' `` I have n't got time to tell you now , '' said George , hurriedly ; `` but you will hear it all when we are through with what we have to do . Mr. Hillman , the lawyer whom we consulted , and who has come out with us , says that the first and main thing to do is to hold possession , not only of the wood-lot , but of the farm .