eleven o'clock
They were kind to him , however : and , lifting no eyebrow over his antiquated night-attire , consulted him cheerfully over a string of flags which -LRB- as it turned out -RRB- Mr. Magor had paid yesterday a visit to Southampton expressly to borrow . I mention this because it was a foretaste , and significant , of the general enthusiasm . At ten in the morning Fritz , head waiter of that fine old English coaching-house , `` The Mitre , '' looked out from the portico where he stood surrounded by sporting prints , and announced to the young lady in the bar that the excursion trains must be `` bringing them in hundreds . '' By eleven o'clock the High Street was packed with crowds that whiled away their time with staring at the flags and decorations . But it was not until 1.0 p.m. that there began to flow , always towards the Pageant Ground , a stream by which that week , among the inhabitants of Merchester , will always be best remembered ; a stream of folk in strange dresses -- knights in armour , ladies in flounces and ruffs , ancient Britons , greaved Roman legionaries , monks , cavaliers , Georgian beaux and dames . It appeared as if all the dead generations of Merchester had arisen from their tombs and reclaimed possession of her streets . They shared it , however , with throngs of modern folk , in summer attire , hurrying from early luncheons to the spectacle .