midnight
`` There 's something wrong with the clock , '' said Thornton suddenly , and his voice sounded curiously dry , almost unnatural . `` Telephone to the equatorial room for the time . '' Puzzled by Thornton 's manner Evarts did as instructed . `` Forty seconds past midnight , '' came the reply from the equatorial observer . Evarts repeated the answer for Thornton 's benefit , looking at their own clock at the same time . It pointed to exactly forty seconds past the hour . He heard Thornton suppress something like an oath .