half past one
He had even championed his goddess against Lucia , when she pronounced that Wagner was totally lacking in knowledge of dramatic effects . To be sure she had never seen any Wagner opera , but she had heard the overture to Tristram performed at the Queen 's Hall , and if that was Wagner , well -- Already , though Lady Ambermere 's motor had not yet completely vanished up the street , Riseholme was gently closing in round him , in order to discover by discreet questions -LRB- as in the game of Clumps -RRB- what he and she had been talking about . There was Colonel Boucher with his two snorting bull-dogs closing in from one side , and Mrs Weston in her bath-chair being wheeled relentlessly towards him from another , and the two Miss Antrobuses sitting playfully in the stocks , on the third , and Peppino at close range on the fourth . Everyone knew , too , that he did not lunch till half past one , and there was really no reason why he should not stop and chat as usual . But with the eye of the true general , he saw that he could most easily break the surrounding cordon by going off in the direction of Colonel Boucher , because Colonel Boucher always said `` Haw , hum , by Jove , '' before he descended into coherent speech , and thus Georgie could forestall him with `` Good morning , Colonel , '' and pass on before he got to business . He did not like passing close to those slobbering bull-dogs , but something had to be done ... Next moment he was clear and saw that the other spies by their original impetus were still converging on each other and walked briskly down towards Lucia 's house , to listen for any familiar noises out of the Mozart trio . The noises were there , and the soft pedal was down just as he expected , so , that business being off his mind , he continued his walk for a few hundred yards more , meaning to make a short circuit through fields , cross the bridge , over the happy stream that flowed into the Avon , and regain his house by the door at the bottom of the garden .