three hours before noon
But strenuous were the efforts they made to suppress all indications of excitement , lest grannie , fearing the immoral influence of gladness , should give orders to delay their departure for an awfully indefinite period , which might be an hour , a day , or even a week . Horrible conception ! Their behaviour was so decorous that not even a hinted threat escaped the lips of Mrs. Falconer . They set out three hours before noon , carrying the great kite , and Robert 's school bag , of green baize , full of sundries : a cart from Bodyfauld was to fetch their luggage later in the day . As soon as they were clear of the houses , Shargar lay down behind a dyke with the kite , and Robert set off at full speed for Dooble Sanny 's shop , making a half-circuit of the town to avoid the chance of being seen by grannie or Betty . Having given due warning before , he found the brown-paper parcel ready for him , and carried it off in fearful triumph . He joined Shargar in safety , and they set out on their journey as rich and happy a pair of tramps as ever tramped , having six weeks of their own in their pockets to spend and not spare .