midnight
It was a simple plan ; it promised to yield a high stake quickly . A final fling at illicit activity ; then virtuous reformation , with Perona marrying the little Jetta . * * * * * Beneath the strong room at the mine , Perona and Spawn had secretly built a cleverly concealed little vault . De Boer , this night just before the midnight hour , was to attack the mine . Spawn and Perona had bribed the police guards to submit to this attack . The guards did not know the details : they only knew that De Boer and his men would make a sham attack , careful to harm none of them -- and then De Boer would withdraw . The guards would report that they had been driven away by a large force .