a quarter past four
Poor simpleton ! I said to myself , you are too early ; you might have known that . She can not come with her father before the National Library closes . Even supposing they take an omnibus , they will not get here before a quarter past four . I had to find something to fill up the somewhat long interval which separated me from that happy moment . I wrote a letter to my Uncle Mouillard , taking seven minutes over the address alone . I had not shown such penmanship since I was nine years old .