noon
And while Tony McGee might not be able to grasp all the fine points in the matter , he could understand that these two new friends of his had warm , boyish hearts ; and he often looked at them with growing affection when neither Phil nor Larry believed he was at all concerned about their affairs . Then that old troubled expression would flit back again , to hold dominion over Tony 's face . That was when he tried to imagine what his father 's actions might be , after he learned that one of these lads was really the son of Dr. Lancing , the rich land owner , against whom he had so strong a grudge that he would have been sorely tempted to kill him , did the millionaire but venture into the land of the squatter shingle-makers . They tied up again at noon , taking Tony 's advice . Phil could plainly see that the swamp boy , acting as pilot of the little expedition , was trying to time their progress so as to hit a certain place toward nightfall . `` What d'ye think of it ? '' asked Larry , when Tony having wandered off with the gun to see if he could find some `` partridges , '' the two could exchange words without being overheard .