nine o'clock
He saw her , standing erect as a lance , her eyes flashing . Her lips were moving and upon her breast her fingers traced the sign of the cross . -LSB- Illustration : Her fingers traced the sign of the cross . -RSB- Roddy waited until his watch showed a minute to nine o'clock . To meet the report of the next gun , he delayed a half-minute longer , and then lit the fuse , and , running back , flattened himself against the side of the tunnel . There was at last a dull , rumbling roar and a great crash of falling rock . Roddy raced to the sound and saw in the wall a gaping , black hole .