about noon
They might be ashamed of themselves ! How many are there , and what are they like ? '' But Maud knew nothing beyond the mere fact of the arrival , and the schoolroom party were obliged to control their curiosity as best they might until lessons were over , and they were free to station themselves once more in their place of observation . If the Vanburgh family had ventured out of the house about noon , they would have been slightly disconcerted to see the row of heads in the window opposite , all craning forward to watch their slightest movement , and bobbing behind the curtains when they imagined themselves observed . But , alas ! they did not come out . The nailed door remained closely shut , and the disappointed watchers tried to console themselves by inventing satisfactory reasons for their non-appearance .