noon
She had the undesirable faculty of taking hold of things wrong end first . As water does not rise higher than its level , so children are not apt to have better habits than their parents . Charlie and Maria and the rest of the family lived in a state of constant confusion . At noon Mr. Upton came to dinner . It was not unusual for him to be forced to wait , and he had learned to be resigned ; so he sat down patiently to talk with the visitors . Soon three children came in from school , all eager to eat and return . What with their clamorous demands , and the necessity for preparing extra vegetables and side-dishes , and anxiety to please all around , and to prevent her bread from growing sour , Mrs. Upton was nearly distracted .