noon
The three friends soon arrived with their friends of the other sex . Rodolphe was polite to Carolus , Schaunard familiar with him , while Marcel remained cold . Carolus forced himself to be gay and amiable with the men and indifferent to the women . When they broke up for the night , he asked Rodolphe to dine with him the next day , and to come as early as noon . The poet accepted , saying to himself , `` Good ! I am to begin the inquiry , then . '' Next morning at the hour appointed , he called on Carolus , who did indeed live in a very handsome private house , where he occupied a sufficiently comfortable room .