a quarter to four precisely
I 'll ring you up to-morrow . It 's some little consolation for being an idle man to have leisure to fulfil your commands . '' She answered that he was very good and she was very pleased with him , and he went away . At a quarter to four precisely , in a heavy shower of rain , Madeline sprang out of a taxicab in St. James 's Street , and tripped into Rumpelmeyer 's . As it was pouring lavishly and she had no umbrella , she hastily and enthusiastically overpaid the cabman , with a feeling of superstition that it might bring her luck ; besides , a few drops of rain , she reflected , would ruin her smart new hat if she waited for change . It was a very small hat , over her eyes , decorated with a very high feather , in the form of a lightning-conductor . She was charmingly dressed in a way that made her look very tall , slim and elegant .