midday
The marriage was to be solemnized in the chapel the next afternoon , and the whites were to attend . The affair was perhaps worth some talk , if Longuant and I had been squaws yawning over our basket-work . But we were men with knives , and Fear was whispering at our shoulders . The sun climbed , and noises and odors of midday came in the tent door . I plumped out a direct question . `` The tree of friendship that grows for the Ottawas and the French , -- are its roots deep , Longuant ? '' The old chief looked at me .