noon before
I 'll bet I do n't let anything else escape me . '' Next morning Philip came early , and he and Elnora went at once to the fields and woods . Mrs. Comstock had come to believe so implicitly in him that she now stayed at home to complete the work before she joined them , and when she did she often sat sewing , leaving them wandering hours at a time . It was noon before she finished , and then she packed a basket of lunch . She found Elnora and Philip near the violet patch , which was still in its prime . They all lunched together in the shade of a wild crab thicket , with flowers spread at their feet , and the gold orioles streaking the air with flashes of light and trailing ecstasy behind them , while the red-wings , as always , asked the most impertinent questions . Then Mrs. Comstock carried the basket back to the cabin , and Philip and Elnora sat on a log , resting a few minutes .