a
quarter to four
But she was nicely placed not only with regard to her sketch , for , by peeping through the pretty foliage of the tree , she could command the front door of Mrs. Poppit 's -LRB- M.B.E. -RRB- house . Miss Mapp 's plans for the bridge-party had , of course , been completely upset by the encounter with Irene in the High Street . Up till that moment she had imagined that , with the two ladies of the house and the Bartletts and the Major and the Captain and Godiva and herself , two complete tables of bridge would be formed , and she had , therefore , determined that she would not be able to squeeze the party into her numerous engagements , thereby spoiling the second table . But now everything was changed : there were eight without her , and unless , at a quarter to four , she saw reason to suppose , by noting the arrivals at the house , that three bridge tables were in contemplation , she had made up her mind to `` squeeze it in , '' so that there would be nine gamblers , and Isabel or her mother , if they had any sense of hospitality to their guests , would be compelled to sit out for ever and ever . Miss Mapp had been urgently invited : sweet Isabel had made a great point of her squeezing it in , and if sweet Isabel , in order to be certain of a company of eight , had asked quaint Irene as well , it would serve her right . An additional reason , besides this piece of good-nature in managing to squeeze it in , for the sake of sweet Isabel , lay in the fact that she would be able to take some red-currant fool , and after one spoonful exclaim `` Delicious , '' and leave the rest uneaten . The white butterflies and the swallows were still enjoying themselves in the sunshine , and so , too , were the gnats , about whose pleasure , especially when they settled on her face , Miss Mapp did not care so much .