about noon
But I confess I do n't see why our young friend , in his degree , should not seek to invest himself with such poetry as is open to him . He is no doubt born with an appetite -- probably , when he is in a safer state of health , he has an excellent appetite . Very well . At our young friend 's natural dinner hour , most likely about noon , our young friend says in effect to society , ` I am hungry ; will you have the goodness to produce your spoon and feed me ? ' Society , which has taken upon itself the general arrangement of the whole system of spoons and professes to have a spoon for our young friend , does NOT produce that spoon ; and our young friend , therefore , says ` You really must excuse me if I seize it . ' Now , this appears to me a case of misdirected energy , which has a certain amount of reason in it and a certain amount of romance ; and I do n't know but what I should be more interested in our young friend , as an illustration of such a case , than merely as a poor vagabond -- which any one can be . '' `` In the meantime , '' I ventured to observe , `` he is getting worse . ''