noon
Nobody appeared to have any respect for him . Still , as far as that was concerned , nobody had any respect for anybody . He consoled himself with this observation . What was called `` noon hour '' came anywhere between noon and three o'clock . The tellers bolted their portion of food with monied hands , stopping between bites to serve a customer . The ledger-keepers ate with their backs to the wicket , turning around nervously every time anyone rustled a slip of paper or made sounds like a pass-book on the ledge . The `` C '' men and one or two others were privileged to eat in the basement , but when one was balanced another was n't , and as a balance aided digestion and the man ahead had not the time to wait for the one behind , they usually ate alone .