noon
`` Come with me , '' said he . He lived on the ground floor , and he led Duroy into a cellar converted into a room for the practice of fencing and shooting . He produced a pair of pistols and began to give his orders as briefly as if they were on the dueling ground . He was well satisfied with Duroy 's use of the weapons , and told him to remain there and practice until noon , when he would return to take him to lunch and tell him the result of his mission . Left to his own devices , Duroy aimed at the target several times and then sat down to reflect . Such affairs were abominable anyway ! What would a respectable man gain by risking his life ?