midnight
With an undisciplined flash of temper , Carl brutally clubbed his assailant into insensibility with the revolver butt and dragged him heavily to the tonneau of his car , throbbing unheeded in the darkness . Having assured himself of his guest 's continued docility by the sinister adjustment of a handkerchief , an indifferent rag or so from the repair kit and a dirty rope , he covered the motionless figure carelessly with a robe and sprang to the wheel , whistling softly . With a throb , the great car leaped , humming , to the road . At midnight the lights of Harlem lay ahead . The ride from the hills , three hours of storm and squirting gravel , had been made with the persistent whir and drone of a speeding engine . But once had it rested black and silent in a lonely road of dripping trees , while the driver hurried into a roadside tavern and telephoned . Now , with a purring sigh as a bridge loomed ahead , the car slackened and stopped .