a quarter past ten
The door , now , that gave on the alleyway ! He opened it , slipped outside , darted across the narrow lane , stole along where the shadows of the fence were blackest , paused , listening , as he reached the end of the alleyway , to assure himself that there was no near-by pedestrian -- and stepped out into the street . He kept on along the block , turned into the Bowery , and , under the first lamp , consulted his watch . It was a quarter past ten . He could make it easily in a leisurely walk . He continued on up the Bowery , finally crossed to Broadway , and shortly afterward turned into Waverly Place . At the corner of Fifth Avenue he consulted his watch again -- and now he lighted a cigarette .