a quarter to four
I shall have to try his mettle . '' `` He 'll not fail you , '' was the reply , `` but do n't spare him -- I would rather you should ruin fifty horses than arrive too late . '' On reaching the inn we had to rouse a drowsy hostler in order to procure the key of the stables , and it was half-past two before I was able , to start . The road to Harley End was somewhat intricate , more than once I took a wrong turning , and was forced to retrace my steps ; being aware also of the distance I had to perform , I did not dare to hurry the horse too much , so that it only wanted a quarter to four when I reached my destination . Here , however , fortune favoured me . Mr. Ellis , it appeared , being an ardent disciple of Isaac Walton , had resolved to rise at day-break in order to beguile sundry trout , and , at the entrance of the village , I met him strolling along , rod in hand . Two minutes sufficed to make him acquainted with the object of my mission , and in less than five minutes more -LRB- a space of time which I employed in washing out the horse 's mouth at an opportune horse-trough , with which I took the liberty of making free -RRB- he had provided himself with a case of instruments and other necessary horrors , all of which he described to me _ seriatim _ , as we returned , with an affectionate minuteness for which I could have strangled him .