noon
He had certainly thrown the box among the ash , and it was gone ; the only inference was that somebody had afterward dug it up and taken it away . Wandle realized this with a shock , but he was too keen-witted to give way to alarm and leave his task unfinished . He must remove the whole pile , in order to give no cause for suspicion that he had been excavating in search of something ; and the sooner it was done the better . It was noon when the work was finished and he entered the house , where there was something else to be done . He was a methodical man and had a place for each of his belongings . He began by examining the position of every article in a cupboard . None seemed to have been disturbed , which was reassuring , and Wandle proceeded to empty a chest in which he kept his clothing .