five in the morning
The Asile de Nuit is a large stone building where pauper and vagabond may get a bed for a week , provided their papers are in order and they can persuade the friars in charge that they are workingmen . Captain Nichols noticed Strickland for his size and his singular appearance among the crowd that waited for the doors to open ; they waited listlessly , some walking to and fro , some leaning against the wall , and others seated on the curb with their feet in the gutter ; and when they filed into the office he heard the monk who read his papers address him in English . But he did not have a chance to speak to him , since , as he entered the common-room , a monk came in with a huge Bible in his arms , mounted a pulpit which was at the end of the room , and began the service which the wretched outcasts had to endure as the price of their lodging . He and Strickland were assigned to different rooms , and when , thrown out of bed at five in the morning by a stalwart monk , he had made his bed and washed his face , Strickland had already disappeared . Captain Nichols wandered about the streets for an hour of bitter cold , and then made his way to the Place Victor Gelu , where the sailor-men are wont to congregate . Dozing against the pedestal of a statue , he saw Strickland again . He gave him a kick to awaken him .