half
past six
He announced his purpose of journeying to the South Seas or New York , or some other equally strange and dangerous shore . The town seethed . It had been years since any local sensation approached this high moment ... . At half past six Pliny Pickett , Scattergood 's right-hand man and general errand boy , was seen to approach Homer on the street and to whisper to him . Pliny always enshrouded his most matter-of-fact errands with voluminous mystery . `` Scattergood wants you sh ` u 'd see him right off , '' he said , and tiptoed away . Another sensation occurred that evening .