noon
It was then that he propped the book open before him , and determined not to close it until he had made the lines his own . Later , as he trudged along the road to town , he repeated the verses to himself , patiently referring again and again to the note-book in which he had copied the first words of each line . At the office door he regretfully dismounted from Pegasus , and resolutely turned his attention to the business of the day . His desire was to complete the week 's work by noon , spend the afternoon at home in necessary preparation for the coming guest , and have the following day , which was Saturday , free to devote to the interest of the oil company . In order to accomplish this , expedition was necessary , and Mr. Opp , being more bountifully endowed by nature with energy than with any other quality , fell to work with a will . His zeal , however , interfered with his progress , and he found himself in the embarrassing condition of a machine which is geared too high . He was , moreover , a bit bruised and stiff from the unusual performances of the previous day , and any sudden motion caused him to wince .