one o'clock
In the luxury of his inner office he sank into the deepest , softest chair , letting his cousin-from-Montehedo sort the mail , agreeing with the boy 's suggestions for action or sometimes issuing his own instructions , keeping only half his mind on the routine day 's business , relying on Pierce , and concentrating the other half on the deed to be done . The plan was set in his mind but he had changes to make . He was barely conscious of the time slipping by as he lay , rarely moving , in his chair , while Pierce worked at top speed . By one o'clock the deck was cleared for action . Bryce stood up , stretched , and checked his watch again . It was 1304 hours . A telephone call was scheduled in about another hour , and five more successively about a half hour apart .