twenty minutes to eight
Their quest was soon explained to the officer in charge , and two men were detailed to accompany them to the old mansion up on the Jerome Avenue road . It had stopped snowing , and the early morning sun made everything glisten . A large sleigh was procured , and one of the policemen and Hal mounted the box and off they drove . It was twenty minutes to eight when the vicinity of the old Flack mansion was reached . The sleigh was driven around a bend and into a clump of trees , and then the party dismounted . `` I 'll go ahead , and see if anybody is around , '' said Hal . `` If it 's all right I 'll wave a handkerchief from one of the windows . ''