noon
There were many voices ready to speak on the accused man 's side ; a sharp-looking acquaintance left his business in Boston to swear that Holt was in his office before noon on the day following the robbery , and that he had spent most of the night in Boston , as proved by several minor details of their interview . As for Holt 's young married daughter , she was a favorite with the townsfolk , and her husband was away at sea overdue these last few weeks . She sat on one of the hard court benches with a young child in her arms , born since its father sailed ; they had been more or less unlucky , the Holt family , though Enoch himself was a man of brag and bluster . All the hot August morning , until the noon recess , and all the hot August afternoon , fly-teased and wretched with the heavy air , the crowd of neighbors listened to the trial . There was not much evidence brought ; everybody knew that Enoch Holt left the funeral procession hurriedly , and went away on horseback towards Boston . His daughter knew no more than this . The Boston man gave his testimony impatiently , and one or two persons insisted that they saw the accused on his way at nightfall , several miles from home .