five minutes to nine
The magnificence of its appointing was a delight . The heavy furniture , the lofty fretted ceiling , the ponderous chandelier , and thick Oriental curtains , unaltered in setting for three generations , gave an impression of stability which had a far-reaching effect . His grandfather had slept , as he himself slept , in the high canopied bed with its massive carved corner posts , and ancestral pride buoyed up Britton to the heights of egotism . He dressed slowly and carefully , with a due consciousness of the relation between appearance and personality , and descended the stairs at five minutes to nine . The carriage had not yet drawn up in the driveway , nor had Mercia come from her apartments . By the door stood Crandell , the footman who had served his uncle , and who regarded the advent of the young master with satisfaction . For five minutes Rex waited , and the carriage wheels shrieked on the gravel as the driver wheeled his horses sharply in front of the great arched entrance .