quarter to nine
`` Yes , I am pretty early and I 'm in a dreadful hurry . The wind blew our kitchen door back against the house last night and broke the hook . I promised Father I would run over here and get him a new one and bring it back to him before I went to school . And it 's quarter to nine now . '' `` Land sakes , so 't is ! Ai n't -- er -- er -- what 's - his-name -- Albert here , found it for you yet ? He ai n't no kind of a hand to find things , is he ?