noon
He was half tempted to give up trying to care for the children . It looked as if failure was all he could expect . But determined persistence was one of Austin 's strong points , and he set to work to investigate the origin of these reports , and when he found their source , a new difficulty was presented and a real cause for concern made bare . Austin was gone all day long , being at home but a few moments at noon . The children , when not in school , found the house lonely and dull . They had no one to direct their efforts nor to control their impulses , so they came and went as they pleased . Austin had not thought of this difficulty , for till now they had lived in the country .