half past nine
`` Poor little kid , '' he murmured , `` having a hard time of it just waking up at this late day . '' But as he continued to gaze , abruptly there leaped before his eyes the vision of her in the moonlight , clinging to Graham and drawing his lips down to hers . Dick got up quickly , with a shake of head to shake the vision from his eyes . By half past nine his correspondence was finished and his desk cleaned save for certain data to be used in his talks with his Shorthorn and Shire managers . He was over at the window and waving a smiling farewell to Lute and Ernestine in the limousine , as Mendenhall entered . And to him , and to Manson next , Dick managed , in casual talk , to impress much of his bigger breeding plans . `` We 've got to keep an eagle eye on the bull-get of King Polo , '' he told Manson .