nearly five in the afternoon
First , he dialed his patent attorney 's office ; he needed some advice . If Power Utilities had their hands on two out of three of his Converters , there might be some trouble over getting the patents through . The attorney 's secretary said he was n't in , and she did n't know if he expected to be back that day . It was , she informed Bending rather archly , nearly five in the afternoon . Bending thanked her and hung up . He dialed the man 's home , but he was n't there , either . Sam Bending stuck a cigarette in his mouth , fired it up , walked over to his easy-chair and sat down to think .