ten minutes to
one
He promised to get back as soon as ever he could , and some of the shareholders decided not to drink any tea with their dinners , but to wait for the beer , although they knew that it would be nearly time to resume work before he could get back . It would be a quarter to one at the very earliest . The minutes dragged slowly by , and after a while the only man on the job who had a watch began to lose his temper and refused to answer any more inquiries concerning the time . So presently Bert was sent up to the top of the house to look at a church clock which was visible therefrom , and when he came down he reported that it was ten minutes to one . Symptoms of anxiety now began to manifest themselves amongst the shareholders , several of whom went down to the main road to see if Philpot was yet in sight , but each returned with the same report -- they could see nothing of him . No one was formally ` in charge ' of the job during Crass 's absence , but they all returned to their work promptly at one because they feared that Sawkins or some other sneak might report any irregularity to Crass or Misery . At a quarter-past one , Philpot was still missing and the uneasiness of the shareholders began to develop into a panic .