a quarter before nine
VOLUME I. Mr William Whittlestaff was strolling very slowly up and down the long walk at his country seat in Hampshire , thinking of the contents of a letter which he held crushed up within his trousers ' pocket . He always breakfasted exactly at nine , and the letters were supposed to be brought to him at a quarter past . The postman was really due at his hall-door at a quarter before nine ; but though he had lived in the same house for above fifteen years , and though he was a man very anxious to get his letters , he had never yet learned the truth about them . He was satisfied in his ignorance with 9.15 A.M. , but on this occasion the post-boy , as usual , was ten minutes after that time . Mr Whittlestaff had got through his second cup of tea , and was stranded in his chair , having nothing to do , with the empty cup and plates before him for the space of two minutes ; and , consequently , when he had sent some terrible message out to the post-boy , and then had read the one epistle which had arrived on this morning , he thus liberated his mind : `` I 'll be whipped if I will have anything to do with her . '' But this must not be taken as indicating the actual state of his mind ; but simply the condition of anger to which he had been reduced by the post-boy .