noon
She was unusual -- startling ! She looked into the street furtively , held up a heavily jeweled hand -- an imperial order for him to stop -- and withdrew . He lounged into the doorway of an ivory shop and waited . It was quiet in Chinatown , for the time was noon and the section was pursuing its midday habit of calm . The padding figures were becoming a trifle obscure , owing to a cold , pale fog that was drifting up from the bay . In a moment the woman reappeared , examined the street again with hostile eyes , held up a square of rice paper , and slowly folded it . Peter Moore nodded slightly and smiled .