nine o'clock in the morning before
It was useless to attempt to persuade George to do other than that which he had decided upon , and Bob recognized that fact . He said nothing more against the departure of his guests , but did all in his power to aid them in getting ready for the journey . The horses did not appear to be affected in the least by their hard drive on the previous night , and this , more than anything else , caused George to feel less hard toward his friends , the moonlighters . It was nine o'clock in the morning before Ralph and George were ready to set out , and as they were starting , Bob called out : `` Remember , we shall stand whatever my drive may cost you , and this evening we will meet you at home . '' There was a feeling of positive relief in Ralph 's heart when they drove out into the road , the trees behind shutting out the moonlighters from view . It was as if he had been suffering from some disagreeable nightmare , and he would have been thankful it was ended if it was not for the awakening in the form of driving through Sawyer , liable to be arrested at any moment . `` George , '' he asked , at length , `` do you really think that what was done last night will injure your business prospects ? ''