the five o'clock afternoon
Then , summoning the janitor , he packed a steamer trunk and gave order to have it taken aboard that evening . On his way downtown to his bank he stopped at a telegraph and cable office and sent a cable message to the Princess Mistchenka . The text consisted of only one word : `` Blue . '' He departed for Gayfield on the five o'clock afternoon train , carrying with him a suitcase and an automatic pistol in his breast pocket . It was a five-hour trip . He dined aboard the train with little desire for food , the July evening being oppressive , and a thunder storm brewing over the Hudson . It burst in the vicinity of Fishkill with a lively display of lightning , deluging the Catskills with rain .