three minutes to
twelve
Be careful , it 's heavy . '' I deposited the box in his hands , and shut the door , and turned the lock again , and groped my way upstairs , chuckling to myself as I imagined the man 's plight . He would not know what to make of this incident , and I had an idea he would not be able to find out , because he could not leave his post . Nor would he have much time to figure over the matter ; for when I got back to the light , I looked at my watch , and it lacked just three minutes to twelve . I found that Lynch and Old Joe had shut the pacifist in the closet , and were in the ante-room waiting for me . I whispered that everything was all right . A moment later we heard a sound in the big room , and peered in , and saw a door at the far end open -- and there was Carpenter , standing with his white robes gleaming in the light .