half past twelve
He was a contortionist of quite unusual cleverness , while his fund of stories never ran dry throughout the seven days ' journey to Winnipeg . He set himself with the greatest assiduity to impart his accomplishments to the boys , and by the time the party had reached the end of the first stage in their westward journey , Sam had the satisfaction of observing that his pupils had made very satisfactory progress , both with the clog dancing and with the ragtime songs . Besides this , he had made for himself an assured place in their affection , and even Mr. Gwynne had come to feel such an interest in the bit of human driftwood flung up against him , that he decided to offer the waif a chance to try his fortune in the West . Mr. Brown was a busy man , but he never failed to be in his place at the foot of the table every day punctually at half past twelve , solely because at that hour his little daughter , Jane , would show her grave and earnest and dark brown , almost swarthy , face at the head . Eight years ago another face used to appear there , also grave , earnest , but very fair and very lovely to look upon , to the doctor the fairest of all faces on the earth . The little , plain , swarthy-faced child the next day after that lovely face had been forever shut away from the doctor 's eyes was placed in her high chair at the head of the table , at first only at the lunch hour , but later at all meal times before the doctor to look at . And it was an ever-recurring joy to the lonely man to discover in the little grave face before him fleeting glimpses of the other face so tenderly loved and so long vanished .