half past seven
It was not worth thinking about ; and yet , for my life , I could not help pondering upon it , -- pondering , wondering , conjecturing , turning it over and over in my mind , and beating my brains for a solution of the enigma . I thought of it all the way from Blackwater to Clayborough . I thought of it all the way from Clayborough to Dumbleton , as I rattled along the smooth highway in a trim dog-cart drawn by a splendid black mare , and driven by the silentest and dapperest of East Anglian grooms . We did the nine miles in something less than an hour , and pulled up before the lodge-gates just as the church-clock was striking half past seven . A couple of minutes more , and the warm glow of the lighted hall was flooding out upon the gravel , a hearty grasp was on my hand , and a clear jovial voice was bidding me `` Welcome to Dumbleton . '' `` And now , my dear fellow , '' said my host , when the first greeting was over , `` you have no time to spare . We dine at eight , and there are people coming to meet you ; so you must just get the dressing business over as quickly as may be .