a quarter to three
It was n't a dream ! This thing had happened . § 12 At a quarter to three in the morning , Lady Harman was surprised to find herself wide awake . It was exactly a quarter to three when she touched the stud of the ingenious little silver apparatus upon the table beside her bed which reflected a luminous clock-face upon the ceiling . And her mind was no longer resting in the attitude of thought but extraordinarily active . It was active , but as she presently began to realize it was not progressing . It was spinning violently round and round the frenzied figure of a little man in purple-striped pyjamas retreating from her presence , whirling away from her like something blown before a gale .