noon
The prospect of a debtor 's prison at Clichy has long since ceased to be a terror . There , he would be secure of sustenance and shelter , and of these , at liberty , he is doubtful every day . Still , with his threadbare coat , he haunts the Casino and the Valentino of evenings ; for some mistresses of a former day send him billets . He lies in bed till long after noon , that he may not have pangs of hunger ; and has yet credit for a dinner at an obscure _ cremery _ . When this last confidence shall have been forfeited , what must result to Pisgah ? He is striving to anticipate the answer with this experiment at roulette ; for he has a `` system '' whereby it is possible to break any gambling bank -- Spa , Baden , Wisbaden or Homburg . The others have systems also , from Auburn Risque to Simp , the only son of the richest widow in Louisiana , who disbursed of old in Paris ten thousand dollars annually .