twelve o’clock
That gentleman without the silk-hat came out bald , and without the fur-trimmed overcoat came out shabby , in a very threadbare old black rock . He wore a portentous pair of cuffs to match the antiquated collar , and these being slipped off and the coat-sleeves turned up for convenience in working , Paul wondered if any shirt or other under-garment kept them company . Any doubt he may have had on that point was dissipated early in the day , for Mr. Warr chancing to stoop with his head towards Paul , gave the young man a clear view of his bare back , between which and the world at large there was nothing but the threadbare coat . About half-past twelve o'clock the small boy whom Paul had encountered on his arrival began to move about from man to man with a strip of paper . Each man looked at the paper and spoke a single word . Then the boy invariably pronounced a word which sounded like ` vedge , ' and the man either shook his head or nodded . Paul wondered what this might mean , until his turn came , when he found a choice of viands written in a scrawling hand upon the scrap of paper : ` Boiled beef and carrots .