four minutes to
twelve
But it has never been so far ahead of time as to-night . It is not due for fifteen minutes yet , and here it is gone yet . '' `` Perhaps your clock is slow , '' I said . `` My watch says four minutes to twelve . '' Whereupon she heaped a tirade of abuse upon the shrinking Hans for letting the clock lose ten minutes of her valuable time . To make sure , Hans set it forward nearly half an hour while she was looking the other way . Then he began mopping the floor again .