quarter
to eleven
Satire , abuse , lines , detention -- every weapon was employed by him in dealing with their wearers . It had been the late Dunster 's practice always to go over to school in shoes when , as he usually did , he felt shaky in the morning 's lesson . Mr. Downing always detected him in the first five minutes , and that meant a lecture of anything from ten minutes to a quarter of an hour on Untidy Habits and Boys Who Looked like Loafers -- which broke the back of the morning 's work nicely . On one occasion , when a particularly tricky bit of Livy was on the bill of fare , Dunster had entered the form-room in heel-less Turkish bath-slippers , of a vivid crimson ; and the subsequent proceedings , including his journey over to the house to change the heel-less atrocities , had seen him through very nearly to the quarter to eleven interval . Mike , accordingly , had not been in his place for three minutes when Mr. Downing , stiffening like a pointer , called his name . `` Yes , sir ? '' said Mike . ''