noon
-- sounds like Lord Mayor of London ! '' Every Eden has its serpent , sooner or later . Thus , having futilely tried the usual gates by which he enters Eden to destroy it , this particular serpent found a breach in the gate of politics . McQuade and Martin entered a cafe popular for its noon lunches . It was hot weather in July , and both were mopping their bald foreheads , their faces and necks . The white bulldog trotted along behind , his tongue lolling out of his mouth and his eyes heavy . The two men sat down in a corner under an electric fan ; the dog crawled under the table , grateful for the cold stone tiling .