about a quarter to eight
`` Grahnd floor wants ` is ` ot water quick . '' Within about five minutes the ground floor 's wish was gratified , Mrs. Oldbury herself arriving with a large steaming can which she placed inside a hip bath . She asked me in a mournful voice whether I thought I could eat some eggs and bacon , and having received a favourable reply left me to my toilet . It was about a quarter to eight when I sat down to breakfast . Considering that for three years I had been obliged to rise at painfully unseasonable hours , this may appear to have been unnecessarily energetic , but as a matter of fact I was not acting without good reasons . To start with , it was my purpose to spend a pleasant morning with George . I wanted to be outside his house so that I could see his face when he came out .