noon
I do n't believe it 's customary to engage a scene painter before a play is scarcely begun . '' `` Well , then , let 's get at it , '' said Hilda , who was practical . So to work they went , and really wrote the actual lines of a good part of the first act . `` Now , that 's something like , '' said Patty , as , when the clock struck noon , she looked with satisfaction on a dozen or more pages , neatly written in Hilda 's pretty penmanship . `` If we keep on like that , we can get this thing done in five or six Saturday mornings , and then I 'll ask Mr. Hepworth about the scenery . Then we can begin to rehearse , and we 'll just about be ready for commencement day . '' While Patty was with the girls , her interest and enthusiasm were so great that the play seemed the only thing to be thought of .