noon
The women who had begun to set out knives and forks and plates were interrupted and set back by hoots of encouragement . Children were stepped on and soothed , a continuous performance . The committee-on-cooking got in the way of the committee-on-washing-the-dishes ; the committee-on-waiting-on-the-table almost came to blows with the committee-on-slicing-the-bread . Toward noon the scramble for places began . Then the people began to gorge . There was a constant reaching and grabbing . The clearing resounded with phrases of intricate politeness : `` Thank you to trouble you fer one them pickles , Si . ''