noon
For the time being discouragement settled upon him ; it settled suddenly like some heavy smothering thing ; it robbed him of hope and redoubled his hunger . He awoke at daylight , roused by the sense of his defeat , then tiptoed out while yet the landlady was abed , and spent the day looking for work along the water-front . But winter had tied up the shipping , and he failed , as he likewise failed at sundry employment agencies where he offered himself in any capacity . At noon he wandered into the park , and , finding a sheltered spot , sunned himself as best he could . He picked up the sheets of a wind-scattered paper and read until the chill December afternoon got into his bones and forced him to his feet . The tale of the unidentified girl at the Morgue recurred to him when he read the announcement that she would be buried two days later in the Potter 's Field . Perhaps the girl had starved for lack of work , he reflected .