five o'clock
She lifted the fragile bit of china for a closer survey . A mailed arm , rising out of a heart , clasped a spear in its hand , and under it ran the motto , `` I keep tryst . '' -LSB- Illustration : `` MADAM 'S CONVERSATION LED FAR AWAY FROM THE CREST AND ITS LESSON '' -RSB- But Madam 's conversation led far away from the crest and its lesson . At first it was about a quaint old English inn , where is served delicious toasted scones with five o'clock tea . When she mentioned that , it was as if they had discovered a mutual friend , for Betty cried out joyfully that she had been there , and had spent a long rainy afternoon in one of its rooms , where Scott had written many chapters of `` Kenilworth . '' Betty remembered afterward that not a word was said about school and its obligations . It was of the Old Curiosity Shop they spoke , and the House of Seven Gables .