a quarter to seven
it was not so . It began very early , somewhere about seven in the morning , with a horrible incident . The rule on Sundays was that the maid knocked at half-past six on the door and gave the Archdeacon and his wife their tea . The Archdeacon lay luxuriously drinking it until exactly a quarter to seven , then he sprang out of bed , had his cold bath , performed his exercises , and shaved in his little dressing-room . At about a quarter past seven , nearly dressed , he returned into the bedroom , to find Mrs. Brandon also nearly dressed . On this particular day while he drank his tea his wife appeared to be sleeping ; that did not make him bound out of bed any the less noisily-after twenty years of married life you do not worry about such things ; moreover it was quite time that his wife bestirred herself . At a quarter past seven he came into the bedroom in his shirt and trousers , humming `` Onward , Christian Soldiers . ''