ten o'clock exactly
He went to the window nearest Balisle and looked out . Sixteen stories down was Fifth Avenue , patrolled in this block by a dozen blue-coats and as many more plain-clothes men . Saret Balisle seemed to be impregnable . But at ten o'clock exactly , a blood-curdling scream came from the room adjoining Balisle 's , where some insurance company had offices . The scream was followed by other screams -- all the screams of women ... . For just a moment Bentley and Tyler whirled to stare at the door giving onto the hall , their hands tightly gripping their automatics . `` God Almighty ! ''