five minutes before twelve
Once , he was stopped , and would certainly not have been allowed to proceed , had he not revealed himself as the Emperor , the owner of the one unnumbered car in Rhaetia . As it was , he had suffered a delay of five minutes ; and just as he was congratulating himself on the goodness of his tires , which had made him no trouble for many weeks , a loud report as of a pistol shot gave warning of a puncture . But there was not a moment to waste on repairs , Leopold drove on , on the rims , only to acknowledge presently the truth of an old proverb , `` the more haste the less speed . '' Delayed by a torn and flapping tire , the car arrived at the big Central Station of Kronburg only five minutes before twelve . Leopold dashed in , careless whether he were recognized or no , and was surprised at the absence of the crowd which usually throngs the platform before the departure of the most important train of the day . `` Is the Orient Express late ? '' he asked of an inspector to whom he was but a man among other men .