nine o'clock
At nine o'clock it was learned that the pit of Pupkin 's stomach was all right , but that the bullet had struck his right ear and carried it away . Finally it was learned that his ear had not exactly been carried away , that is , not precisely removed by the bullet , but that it had grazed Pupkin 's head in such a way that it had stunned him , and if it had been an inch or two more to the left it might have reached his brain . This , of course , was just as good as being killed from the point of view of public interest . Indeed , by nine o'clock Pupkin could be himself seen on the Main Street with a great bandage sideways on his head , pointing out the traces of the robber . Gillis , the caretaker , too , it was known by eight , had not been killed . He had been shot through the brain , but whether the injury was serious or not was only a matter of conjecture . In fact , by ten o'clock it was understood that the bullet from the robber 's second shot had grazed the side of the caretaker 's head , but as far as could be known his brain was just as before .