noon
And when it led him to its drinking-place , he knew that he had discovered one more secret of the hills , and that this somber mere wherein strange waters bubbled in whispers could be no other than the lost Wishing-Pool . The young calf might have been its magic guard . To Harding it was a discovery more precious than the mere . For all that it was of the first year , with its prickets only showing where its antlers would branch in time , it was of a breed so fine and a build so noble that its matchless noon could already be foretold from its matchless dawn ; and added to all its strength and grace and beauty was this last marvel , that though it was of the tribe of the Red Deer , its skin was as white and speckless as falling snow . Watching it , the Red Smith said to himself , `` Not yet my quarry . You are of king 's stock , and if after the sixth year you show twelve points , you shall be for me . But first , my hart-royal , you shall get your growth . ''