about quarter past one
He told of this bargain that he 'd made and that sharp trade he had turned , while we set there and listened and laughed like a parsel of fools . And every time that Ebenezer 'd get up to go to bed , Peter 'd trot out a new yarn and he 'd have to stop to listen to that . And it got to be eleven o'clock and then twelve and then one . It was just about quarter past one and we was laughing our heads off at one of Brown 's jokes , when out under the back window there was a jingle and a thump and a kind of groaning and wiggling noise . `` What on earth is that ? '' says Dillaway . `` I should n't be surprised , '' says Peter , cool as a mack ` rel on ice , `` if that was his royal highness , the count . ''