twenty-five minutes to nine
`` I was looking for a piece of cinnamon to chew , '' he explained . `` Guess I 'll be going to school now . '' His mother glanced at the alarm clock which ticked noisily in its place on the wall over the sink . `` Only twenty-five minutes to nine , son . Is n't it a bit early ? '' He explained that he had to be up at school at first bell . A geography notebook had been left in his desk , and entries must be made in it before the class began .