a quarter past one
They would begin inquiring into matters . They might even discover X Island , and there would be an end to this life , which the men of the `` Albatross '' had created for themselves , a life that seemed superhuman and sublime . Tom Turner came up to the engineer . It was a quarter past one . `` It seems to me , sir , that the breeze is falling , and going round to the west . '' `` What does the barometer say ? '' asked Robur , after looking up at the sky .