one o'clock
Instinctively he began building up an alibi and planning his flight . The druggist who had given him the key and the taxi driver both supposed that he had inspected the house and taken the evening train for Boston . As he got into his clothes he decided to make a wide detour of the town , perhaps tramping on to Portsmouth , and there recover his bag and be off for the Rockies . At one o'clock he was drinking coffee and munching toast and jam to fortify himself for his journey . He had shot and perhaps killed a man , and his mind surged now with self-accusations . He need n't have fired the shot -- the thief was running away and very likely would not have molested him further . He was sorry for the fellow , wounded or dead ; but in a moment he was shuddering as he reflected that the bullet that splintered the mirror had really been meant for him , and it had struck with great precision just where the reflection of his head had presented a fair target to the startled marksman .