2:47
And the result had been so amazing that Sir Archibald had not only been mystified but enraged . It was for this reason that when Skipper George Rumm , with Tommy Bull , the rat-eyed little clerk , left the presence of Sir Archibald Armstrong , the prediction of the clerk had come true : there were two able-bodied seamen looking for a berth on the streets of St. John 's . First of all , however , they set about finding Tom Tulk o ' Twillingate ; but this , somehow or other , the discreet Tom Tulk never would permit them to do . * * * * * By Sir Archibald 's watch it was now exactly 2:47 . Sir Archibald rose from the chair that was his throne . `` I 'm sorry , '' he sighed . `` I had hoped -- '' Again the pale little clerk put his head in at the door .