midnight
Max , as we have seen , had been through most of the shops in the Durend concern , and knew how to use almost any tool as well as the best of the firm 's mechanics . No difficulties , therefore , were to be anticipated on that score . In fact , the more the details of the scheme were discussed the more feasible it seemed and the more the spirits of the two plotters rose . The third night after the break with Schenk , Max and Dale set out from their lodging at midnight and made their way to the Durend workshops . Dale was carrying a good-sized bag , in which was a lantern and an assortment of tools and other articles , one or two of them of such a nature that to be stopped and the bag examined would have been fatal to their liberty of movement for many a long day . It was , therefore , necessary for them to move with caution , and Max accordingly went on a hundred yards ahead , ready to give the agreed signal -- a stumble forward on the pavement -- whenever it was advisable for Dale to disappear . The offices of the Durend Company were situated in a separate building just inside the main entrance gates .