noon
Not only had he cost the Goodman a large sum of money , but in the weeks he had been with them he had found his own place in the household , where he would be sadly missed . Worst of all was their anxiety about his fate at the hands of the Indians . `` Come , '' said the Goodwife at last , when they had heard every event of the day twice over , `` we must eat , or we shall have scant courage for the duties of the morrow . We have none of us tasted food since noon . '' The clams were still simmering gently in the pot , and she gave them each a porringer of broth , which they ate sitting in a circle about the hearth-stone . Then she put the room in order , and though her heart was heavy , tried to talk of the events of their day in Boston as if nothing had happened . -LSB- Illustration -RSB- `` We saw Captain Sanders in town , '' she said to the children .