noon
Archie was grateful for this spirit of friendliness , but in his heart he thought that cruel words were often more painful than lashes , and he heartily wished that his week was over . All this day he spent on the farm , without once going into the road . Farmer Tinch had warned him that if he saw him making for the road at any time , he could go and never come back , and he would forfeit what money he had already earned . So Archie ploughed the field from daylight till dark , with a half hour at noon for a hurried dinner . He was glad when darkness came , and after another supper of mush and milk he was thankful to have a corn-husk bed to sleep on , and was soon in a stupor which was so sound as to be almost like death . Again the next morning he was awakened at daylight , and he was made to work even harder than on the second day . He had by this time become somewhat used to the labour , however , and stood it better .