midnight
And he had actually run into them ! Lord , the irony of it ! The -- And then Jimmie Dale stared at the dial of his watch incredulously . It was still but barely midnight ! It seemed impossible that since leaving the theatre at a few minutes before eleven , he had lived through but a single hour ! Jimmie Dale 's fingers began to pluck at the letter , tearing it into pieces , tearing the pieces over and over again into tiny shreds . The train stopped at station after station , people got on and off -- Jimmie Dale 's hat was over his eyes , and his eyes were glued again to the window .