noon
Why not ... ? Yet he could not come to a decision ; the next day saw him obstinately , even a little stupidly , pursuing the course he had planned before his disheartening disillusionment . Because his money was fast ebbing and motives of prudence alone -- if none more worthy -- forbade an attempt to replenish his pocketbook by revisiting the little rez-de-chaussée in the rue Roget and realizing on its treasures , he had determined to have a taximeter fitted to his car and ply for hire until time or chance should settle the question of his future . Already , indeed , he had complied with the police regulations , and received permission to convert his voiture de remise into a taxicab ; and leaving it before noon at the designated dépôt , he was told it would be ready for him at four with the `` clock '' installed . Returning at that hour , he learned that it could n't be ready before six ; and too bored and restless to while away two idle hours in a café , he wandered listlessly through the streets and boulevards -- indifferent , in the black melancholy oppressing him , whether or not he were recognized -- and eventually found himself turning from the rue St. Honoré through the place Vendôme to the rue de la Paix . This was not wise , a perilous business , a course he had no right to pursue . And Lanyard knew it .