ten minutes to five
They were carrying double boards , on which , boldly printed in red-and-black letters , stared the following announcement : MADAME TUSSAUD 'S MARYLEBONE ROAD NEIL LYNDON A LIFELIKE PORTRAIT I gazed down at them with a sort of fascinated interest . Somehow or other it seemed rather like reading one 's own tombstone , and I could n't help wondering whether I was in the main hall or whether I had been dignified with an eligible site in the Chamber of Horrors . If it had n't been for my appointment I should most certainly have taken a cab straight up to Marylebone Road in order to find out . Promising myself that treat on the morrow , I stuck to my seat , and at ten minutes to five by the station clock we drew up outside Victoria . I got off and walked briskly along to Edith Terrace . Turning the corner of the street , I observed the figure of Miss Gertie ` Uggins leaning against the front railings , apparently engaged in conversation with an errand boy on the other side of the road . As soon as she recognized me she dived down the area steps , reappearing at the front door just as I reached the house .