midday
Take your time upon the road , Tommy . There 's nothing to bring you in before dinner . '' And at dinner Humpty was in his most genial mood . He was not as a rule genial at the midday repast , to which as often as not he hurried in late , only to hurry out again as soon as he had consumed abstractedly the portion set aside for him ; but on the present occasion he subsided into his armchair at the foot of the table with a leisurely , tranquil air that spoke of a mind at ease for the time being . He enjoyed his roast chicken and green peas . He had himself cut the asparagus and cut it bountifully . Mary was bidden to observe how asparagus ought to be cut -- a couple of inches , not more , below the surface of the earth ; and it should never be allowed to grow too high ; the flavour was lost when it had been long above ground ; furthermore , it should be carried straight from the bed to the pot -- but here Mary laughed outright .