noon
He knew nothing of Beatrice 's sense of constant surprise . In his own heart he had known that all these woodspeople would be waiting for him -- just as they were -- and he would have known far greater amazement to have found some of them gone . And instead of sprightly delight he knew only an all-pervading sense of comfort , as a man feels upon returning to his home country , among the people whom he knows and understands . At the very headquarters of Poor Man 's Creek , where the stream had dwindled to a silver thread between mossy banks , Beatrice and Ben made their noon camp . They were full in the heart of the wild , by now , and had mounted to those high levels and park lands beloved by the caribou . They built a small fire beside the stream and drew water from the deep , clear pools that lay between cascade and cascade . Ben Darby slowly became aware that this was one of the happiest hours of his life .