noon
The door was painted red when I last saw it . Perhaps you will find it ajar , but if not , knock two or three times with the head of your stick , not roughly or noisily , but in a sober fashion ; and then wait awhile , and if nobody comes , knock again . If you can not get in to-day , go back to-morrow and the next day . The best time is a little before noon , when the man is not yet at dinner . ' ` Or asleep , ' suggested Tommaso . ` Precisely . When he lets you in , you will know him because he has a reddish beard that is turning white on the left side .