midday
I heard the word so many times that I could not forget it if I tried . The next day Ranjoor Singh had a surprise for us . At ten in the morning we were all lined up in the rain and given a full month 's pay . It was almost midday when the last man had received his money , and when we were dismissed and the men filed in to dinner Ranjoor Singh bade me go among them and ask whether they did not wish opportunity to spend their money . So I went and asked the question . Only a few said yes . Many preferred to keep their money against contingencies , and some thought the question was a trick and refused to answer it at all .