ten minutes to five
Beyond that he did not , or could not , go . For some five minutes or so he leant at the little casement window , gazing at the gold of the buttercups seen through a blurred mist of rain . Then he pulled the window to , and came down into the parlour . The hands of the grandfather 's clock pointed to ten minutes to five . Antony , remembering the box of wood in the scullery , bethought himself of a cup of tea . His bag contained all the requirements . Long practice had taught him to provide himself with necessities , and also , on occasions , to substitute lemon for milk , as a complement to tea .