About noon
Near the church the tracks became confused and , what was worse , divided . Kasztan had been ridden to the right and Wojtek to the left . After reflecting for a moment , Maciek followed the latter track , possibly because it was clearer , but most likely because he loved that little horse the best . About noon he found himself near the village where Magda 's uncle , the Soltys Grochowski , lived . He turned in there , hoping for a bite of food ; he was hungry and the little girl was crying . Grochowski was at home and in the middle of receiving a sound rating from his wife for no particular reason but just for the pleasure of it . The huge man was sitting on the bench by the wall , with one arm on the table and the other on the window-sill , listening with an expression of fixed attention to his wife 's homilies ; this attention was , however , assumed , for whenever she buried her head among the pots and pans on the stove he yawned and stretched himself , pulling a face as if the conversation had long been distasteful to him .