midday
A notable instance to the contrary , however , was Keppler 's saloon . It had depended a good deal on the men from Hope Mills and the iron-works . The latter had been closed so long ; and , although the coffee-house did not seem much of a rival at first , it had gone on steadily , and given the men time to think . It was not simply the one glass of beer they took to wash down their midday lunch , but the treating when a crowd gathered , the many drinks during a heated discussion of an evening . Not half a dozen of the mill-hands went there now , so occupied had their minds become with other matters . Keppler 's lease was not out , and his rent was high for the times ; he had lost money and customers , and felt sore over it ; he had a grudge against Jack Darcy as the exponent of a system that interfered with his profits . McPherson was discussed over pipes and ale one warm June evening , with brains cleared , of course , by frequent potations and stifling smoke .