two o'clock
At a nearby appliance store Sutter purchased a clock control which would turn his television set on and off at any chosen time . He set the control for two o'clock , then managed to lure Travail out of the house for the afternoon by giving him an invitation he 'd received for a lecture on marine life at a local club . Next , he drove again to the H-bomb site and stood waiting in the grass-like park , watch in hand . At precisely two o'clock there came that queer staggering of earth and sky . The trees gave way to the stretch of sand ; the waves , leaden-colored and cheerless , dotted with white caps rolled up on the lonely shore . As before Sutter felt that same exhilaration , that same reversal to the spirit of his youth . But despite his mental excitement he maintained an awareness of the situation and a remembrance of why he had come here .