noon
Nothing however large or small , passed his keen sight unobserved . The strain he was under was terrific . He no longer ate lunch . The days were too short , and his noon hours and his office were as crowded as at any other time . By the end of the day he was exhausted , and , as never before , he sought relief behind his wall of alcoholic inhibition . Straight to his hotel he was driven , and straight to his rooms he went , where immediately was mixed for him the first of a series of double Martinis . By dinner , his brain was well clouded and the panic forgotten .