a few
minutes before five o'clock
He must hide it ... . He must count it , and then -- having staved off Pamphlett -- hide it tomorrow with all speed and cunning . When would the dawn come ? The sun , in the longitude of Polpier , was actually due to rise a few minutes before five o'clock . But Polpier -LRB- as I have told -RRB- lies in a deep cleft of the hills . Nicky-Nan 's parlour looked out on a mere slit at the bottom of that cleft ; and , moreover , the downfall of plaster blocked half the lower portion of its tiny dirty window . What with one hindrance and another , it was almost a quarter past five before daylight began to glimmer in the parlour .