midday
... With an intense effort of will he stretched out his arms , was handcuffed without a murmur , and , marching between his two jailors , he quitted the prison . The bright light of noonday made him blink . On reaching the pavement he recoiled with a convulsive movement : the jailors pulled him forward . It was the crowded hour , when men leave offices and shops for a midday meal . But the public of these parts , accustomed to such comings and goings of prisoners and their jailors , paid no attention to this pitiful trio . The prisoner seemed so overcome with emotion that , after uttering a long sigh like a death rattle , he sank , a dead weight , into the arms of his jailors . They were forced to support him .