five minutes to five
On , on they marched , bright and happy , conscious that their cause was a good one , and that their enjoyment would not be marred by any excesses . The day was charming ; there had been just enough rain during the preceding night to lay the dust and freshen up the vegetation , while the ardent rays of the sun were tempered from time to time by transient screens of semi-transparent clouds . As the procession neared Cricketty Hall , a cooling breeze from the west sprang up , just enough to ruffle out the banners , as they were carried proudly aloft , without distressing their bearers . Then the band , which had been silent for a while , put on the full power of lungs and muscle in one prolonged outburst of boisterous harmony ; and just at five minutes to five the whole body of the walkers , old and young , was drawn up in due order in front of the ruined gateway . It was just the right spot for such a summer 's gathering . Far away towards the south sloped the fields , disclosing on either hand many a snug farm-house amidst its ripening crops , and to the extreme east an undulating range of dim , blue , shadowy hills . Facing a spectator , as he stood with his back to the ruined gateway , was the town of Crossbourne , with its rougher features softened down by the two miles of distance ; its tall chimneys giving forth lazy curls of smoke , as though pausing to rest after the ceaseless labours of a vigorous working week .