two minutes to twelve
Jack was soon fixed up with `` store clothes , '' the traps and moccasins were packed in two grips , Charlie arranged with his landlady to pack up his stuff and store it for him , and that night the two went `` out '' -- aboard the Limited that would bear them across the continent . The enthusiastic boys reached New York long before the three weeks were up , but the General -- as they came to call him , like everyone else -- was not in evidence . He had left letters for them at the Explorers ' Club , however , and had arranged for them to get a room there until his arrival . At two minutes to twelve some days later he stepped out of the elevator and entered the library , where Charlie and Jack were waiting in no little dismay . The meeting was a joyful one all around . `` Me ? '' laughed the General , in answer to their rapid-fire questions .