nine o'clock
`` I swear it ! '' `` Very well , Vinson , you now belong to me , you are my property , my chattel ; I am going to give you my instructions , and they must be strictly obeyed , carried out ! '' The miserable soldier seemed crushed to the earth ; but with a movement of his head he signified that he was prepared to do whatever the journalist ordered . As early as nine o'clock that morning , there was unusual activity in the Second Bureau of the Headquarters Staff . The Second Bureau ! This formidable office , whose official designation , _ Bureau of Statistics _ , did not deceive anyone , occupied premises in the Ministry of War . Modest as to appearance , this Bureau was located on the third floor of one of the oldest buildings in the rue Saint Dominique .