midday
We are looking for trouble . '' Clay had tipped back his chair , and was surveying the restaurant and the blazing plaza beyond its open front with an expression of cheerful unconcern . Two men were reading the morning papers near the door , and two others were dragging through a game of dominoes in a far corner . The heat of midday had settled on the place , and the waiters dozed , with their chairs tipped back against the walls . Outside , the awning of the restaurant threw a broad shadow across the marble-topped tables on the sidewalk , and half a dozen fiacre drivers slept peacefully in their carriages before the door . The town was taking its siesta , and the brisk step of a stranger who crossed the tessellated floor and rapped with his knuckles on the top of the cigar-case was the only sign of life . The newcomer turned with one hand on the glass case and swept the room carelessly with his eyes .