midday
The boy waited with what patience he could until the man passed on to the further side of the church , then he slid and crawled along the carpeted aisle until he reached the door , when springing to his feet he made a dash for the street . He heard the sexton shouting angrily after him , but he paid no heed . On and on he ran until he reached his room where Tag gave him a wildly delighted welcome , and in a very short time thereafter the stand at `` Tode 's Corner '' was doing a brisk business . Tode 's patrons were mostly newsboys of his acquaintance , who came pretty regularly to his stand for breakfast , and generally for a midday meal , lunch or dinner as it might be . Where they took their supper he did not know , but he usually closed his place of business after one o'clock , and spent a couple of hours roaming about the streets doing any odd job that came in his way , if he happened to feel like it , or to be in need of money . After his meeting with the bishop he often wandered up into the neighbourhood of St. Mark 's with a vague hope that he might see again the man who seemed to his boyish imagination a very king among men . It had long been Tode 's secret ambition to grow into a big , strong man himself -- bigger and stronger than the common run of men .