a quarter past six
You can call to me when you 've finished , and perhaps I 'll come up ; but I wo n't promise , because I like the shore the very best of all . '' On the Rocks `` Our train will start at half-past six , '' said Miss Lincoln , when tea was finished , and the girls were standing in little groups in the hotel garden , wondering what to do next . `` All who like may go on to the beach again , or on to the cliffs , but no one must walk farther than the white farm near the flagstaff . You must return immediately you are told , and be at the station by a quarter past six . '' The girls dispersed , some to wander along the shore to find a few more shells , mermaids ' purses , or strips of ribbon seaweed ; some to climb to the top of the cliff by the flagstaff ; and others to play games on a piece of common near the white farm that Miss Lincoln had appointed as a boundary beyond which they must not venture . Patty , who was hunting for sea anemones in the small pools among the rocks , noticed Muriel and her friends , Maud , Vera , and Kitty , hurrying as fast as they could along the beach in the opposite direction from the village . `` Where are you going ? ''