ten minutes to twelve
L10 in gold and a number of L5 notes the stout man pocketed . Occasionally he objurgated Mr. Ledbetter 's clumsiness , and urged him to hurry , and several times he appealed to Mr. Ledbetter 's watch for information . Mr. Ledbetter strapped the trunk and bag , and returned the stout man the keys . It was then ten minutes to twelve , and until the stroke of midnight the stout man made him sit on the Gladstone bag , while he sat at a reasonably safe distance on the trunk and held the revolver handy and waited . He appeared to be now in a less aggressive mood , and having watched Mr. Ledbetter for some time , he offered a few remarks . `` From your accent I judge you are a man of some education , '' he said , lighting a cigar . `` No -- DO N'T begin that explanation of yours .