three minutes to nine
Then Vanderlyn took out his watch . Surely it must be later than nine o'clock ? He moved from the window and held the dial close under the blue silk shade of the lamp . Why , it was only three minutes to nine ! Then they had n't yet passed Dorgival ; in fact they would n't be there for another twenty minutes , for this train took two hours to do what the quick expresses accomplished in an hour and a quarter . It was good to know that he had only slept for quite a little while . The desire for sleep had now left him completely , and he began to feel excited , restless , and intensely , glowingly alive ... .