noon
Now , of course , nobody in these advanced times thinks that it is not absolutely possible , even easy , for a woman to live any kind of constructive life she chooses entirely without assistance from a man , but she 'll get to the place she has started for just about a year after she would have arrived if a man had happened along to do the sawing . The way my friend Matthew Berry cut and hammered off one by one the directions on that piece of paper in my smock pocket would have proved the proposition above stated to any doubtful woman . And while Matthew and I had had many happy times together at balls and parties and dinners and long flights in our cars and at the theatre and opera , also in dim corners in gorgeous clothes , I am sure we had never been so happy as we were that morning while we labored together in the interest of Mr. G. Bird and family . We went beyond the paper directions and delved in my book and hammered away until , when Rufus , with stately coldness , announced some time after noon that dinner was served , we both declared that it was impossible , though Matthew was at that moment performing the last chore commanded by dusting the medicated ashes under the last wing of the last Lady Leghorn , held tenderly in my arms . The mash had been concocted and heated in the cleansed whitewash bucket over a fire improvised by Matthew between two stones beside the barn , because I did not dare disturb Rufus again , and the model nests were all in place and ready for the downpour of pearls that we expected at any time , and there was nothing left to do that we could think of or read about in the book . `` Let 's go in and get a bite with Father Craddock and the twin , and then we 'll read things to do this afternoon in the book where you got those directions , '' said Matthew as he started towards the house in the wake of Rufus ' retiring apron . I had n't broken Pan to Matthew , and I did n't know exactly why .