ten o'clock
Miss Mapp 's eye , as she took her seat in her window on this sunny July morning , lingered for a moment on the Major 's house , before she proceeded to give a disgusted glance at the pictures on the back page of her morning illustrated paper , which chiefly represented young women dancing in rings in the surf , or lying on the beach in attitudes which Miss Mapp would have scorned to adjust herself to . Neither the Major nor Captain Puffin were very early risers , but it was about time that the first signals of animation might be expected . Indeed , at this moment , she quite distinctly heard that muffled roar which to her experienced ear was easily interpreted to be `` Qui-hi ! '' `` So the Major has just come down to breakfast , '' she mechanically inferred , `` and it 's close on ten o'clock . Let me see : Tuesday , Thursday , Saturday -- Porridge morning . '' Her penetrating glance shifted to the house exactly opposite to that in which it was porridge morning , and even as she looked a hand was thrust out of a small upper window and deposited a sponge on the sill . Then from the inside the lower sash was thrust firmly down , so as to prevent the sponge from blowing away and falling into the street .