twenty-five
minutes past eleven
Amy was not allowed to go to bed , lest she might be needed . Constance did not even hint that Cyril should go to bed . The dark , dreadful minutes ticked themselves off on the mantelpiece until only five minutes separated Constance from the moment when she would not know what to do next . It was twenty-five minutes past eleven . If at half-past Samuel did not appear , then he could not come that night , unless the last train from Stafford was inconceivably late . The sound of a carriage ! It ceased at the door .