about noon
What new and amazing substance was this , which could not be bent or broken , or even bitten into ? The more Black Bruin pushed at the iron bars of his cage , the fainter grew that spark of hope which is the mainspring of all life , until at last he ceased to hope altogether , and bowing to the inevitable , no longer sought to be free . Sullenly he glared at the gaping crowds that passed his cage daily , and the only thing to which he looked forward was his food . This he received each day at about noon . What it all meant , he could not imagine . The great crowds , the blare of bands , the gala dress and the babel of voices all reminded him of the country fairs that he had often attended with Pedro , in the old dancing-bear days . The long journeys by rail he soon got used to , so that he was no longer sick , but it was a weary existence .