twenty minutes to one
She opened her mouth to explain her vacillations of the morning , but her moral fiber was not equal to the effort . She felt very unhappy to have Judith blamed and herself praised when things ought to have been reversed , but she could not bring herself to renounce her father 's good opinion . Professor Marshall gave them both a kiss and set them down . `` It 's twenty minutes to one . You 'd better run along , dears , '' he said . After the children had gone out , his wife , who had preserved an unbroken silence , remarked dryly , `` So that 's the stone we give them when they ask for bread . '' Professor Marshall made no attempt to defend himself .