three o'clock
Opening the vial carefully , he dipped in a thin piece of glass and placed a tiny drop in a receptacle back of the needle and on the needle itself . Altogether it savored of the ancient days of the Borgias with their weird poisoned rings . Then he dropped the vial back into his pocket , pressed a spring , and the needle went back into its unsuspected hiding place . `` I 've set my invention to go off at three o'clock , '' he concluded . `` Tomorrow forenoon , it will have to be delivered early -- and I do n't believe we shall be troubled any longer by Miss Elaine Dodge , '' he added venomously . Even the crooks , hardened as they were , could only gasp . Calmly he wrapped up the apparently innocent engine of destruction and handed it to Spike .