noon
She was anxious for his honour . That her lover shall appear well before the world , is a thing deep in the heart of every woman . It is a pride for which she will deny herself , even of the presence of that lover . `` Till noon , '' Jen said , `` and then he must go . '' Jen watched to see if her father or Pierre would notice that the horse was changed , had been travelled during the night , or that it was a different one altogether . As the morning wore away she saw that they did not notice the fact . This ignorance was perhaps owing largely to the appearance of several ranchmen from near the American border .