midnight
It was quite ten minutes before he could stagger with his burden to the office . Safely inside , he made up the fire and telephoned for the doctor . Then he remembered O'Donnell , and spoke a message to the police-station , whence were presently despatched a couple of constables who found the man , stunned and considerably bruised . Neither did he forget Section D -- with the result that there was a breakdown gang on the spot before midnight . The buckled pile was found to have been nearly chopped through a few feet from the top , and there was no doubt that if O'Donnell had been undisturbed , he would have done the most serious mischief to the work . As it was , the completion of the section was delayed for two months . Trevannion heard this story during his convalescence -- a lengthy period , since two ribs were broken as well as the arm , and he had suffered severely from shock and exposure .