noon
He seemed to have come at just the right time , and offered them the very bait they were eager for . His string increased at a surprising rate , and after the sun had been up a couple of hours Dick saw that he had a mighty fine lot of beauties to dispose of . Later on as the bites grew fewer , and he found he had some time on his hands , he proceeded to dress his fish , and cover them with cool leaves in the basket he had brought along for this very purpose . Before noon he started back to town , resolved to dispose of his catch . He could not expect to do as well as this every day , but there was certainly twenty pounds of fine fresh fish in his basket , and he believed he could readily sell them for a couple of dollars . He had already picked out certain houses where he meant to offer his wares ; and it can be readily guessed that the Gibbs mansion was _ not _ one of the number , although it stood not far away from his starting point ; just why this should be so the reader must be left to imagine -- perhaps it was because he was afraid he would be thanked again by Mrs. Gibbs for saving the life of the pet Angora ; perhaps he somehow did not fancy appearing again in his old clothes before Bessie ; perhaps , -- but surely every boy must understand how Dick felt about it . Just as he expected , he met with flattering success in disposing of the contents of his basket ; for while Riverview was situated on a stream that seemed bountifully supplied with fish few persons made it a business to secure enough of them to offer any for sale ; and what could be found on the stands in the markets had come from Boston , and were packed in ice , so that their delicate flavor had been much impaired .