noon
What kept Ralph away ? It was no unusual thing for him to be abroad from dawn to dusk , but the fingers of the clock were approaching eleven , and still he did not come . On this night , of all others , he must have wished to be at home . Earlier in the evening Rotha had found occasion to go on some errand to the neighboring farm , and there she had heard that towards noon Ralph had been seen on horseback crossing Stye Head towards Wastdale . Upon reporting this at the Moss , the old dame had seemed to be relieved . `` He thinks of everything , '' she had said . All that day she had cherished the hope that it would be possible to bury Angus over the hills , at Gosforth .