a quarter to four
`` Oh yes ; I will do the talking . And now I must be off . I have a lot of calls to pay , and it is getting late . You will find me here to-morrow afternoon at a quarter to four . '' Whereupon Major White took his departure , to appear again the next day in good time , placid and debonair -- as he had appeared when called upon in various parts of the world , where things were stirring . They took a hansom , for the afternoon was showery , and drove through the crowded streets . Even Cambridge Terrace , usually a quiet thoroughfare , was astir with traffic , for it was the height of the season and a levee day .