ten o'clock
Then setting men to chop off such of the branches as protruded above the proposed embankment level , and let them fall into the unoccupied spaces , he presently had that part of the crib loosely filled in with a tangled mass of timber and tree tops . Gangs of men were meanwhile pushing cars along the temporary track , and dumping their loads of earth among the felled trees . Duncan , with a small gang , was extending these temporary tracks along the crib as fast as the earth dumped in provided a sufficient bed . This work of filling was very slow , of course , and when Duncan 's watch showed ten o'clock , he was well-nigh ready to despair . Under the strain of his anxiety he had forgotten to take any breakfast , and the prolonged exposure to water and rain had so far depressed his vitality that he now found a chill creeping over him . He hurried to Barbara 's fire for some coffee and a few mouthfuls of greatly needed food . There for the first time he saw what Barbara 's promised dinner was to be .