twenty minutes to ten
Some sudden stop in the musical clock woke him at length , and he jumped up with a start , surprised to find the room quite full : it had been nearly empty when his nap began . With nervous anxiety he pulled out his watch , and found that it was half-past nine . He seized his hat , and , hurrying downstairs , started at a rapid pace for Lincoln 's Inn . It still wanted twenty minutes to ten when the warden found himself at the bottom of Sir Abraham 's stairs , so he walked leisurely up and down the quiet inn to cool himself . It was a beautiful evening at the end of August . He had recovered from his fatigue ; his sleep and the coffee had refreshed him , and he was surprised to find that he was absolutely enjoying himself , when the inn clock struck ten . The sound was hardly over before he knocked at Sir Abraham 's door , and was informed by the clerk who received him that the great man would be with him immediately .