noon
Each day added something to his fund , and each night it seemed to Toby that he was one day nearer the freedom for which he so ardently longed . The skeleton , the fat lady , Old Ben , the Albino Children , little Ella , and even the sword swallower , all gave him a kindly word as they passed him while he was at his work , or saw him as the preparations for the grand entree were being made . The time had passed slowly to Toby , and yet Sunday came again -- as Sundays always come ; and on this day Old Ben hunted him up , made him wash his face and hands until they fairly shone from very cleanliness , and then took him to church . Toby was surprised to find that it was really a pleasant thing to be able to go to church after being deprived of it , and was more light hearted than he had yet been since he left Guilford when he returned to the tent at noon . The skeleton had invited him to another dinner party , but Toby had declined the invitation , agreeing to present himself in time for supper instead . He hardly cared to go through the ordeal of another state dinner ; and besides , he wanted to go off to the woods with the old monkey , where he could enjoy the silence of the forest , which seemed like a friend to him , because it reminded him of home . Taking the monkey with him as usual , he inquired the nearest way to a grove , and , without waiting for dinner , started off for an afternoon 's quiet enjoyment .