a quarter past ten
Mr. James Harwood protested that no one else could brew such punch as that concocted by the landlord of the `` Cat and Fiddle . '' The supper was a very cheery banquet ; ponderous slices of underdone roast beef disappeared as if by magic , and the consumption of pickles , from a physiological or sanitary point of view , positively appalling . After the beef and pickles came a Titanic cheese and a small stack of celery ; while the brown beer pitcher went so often to the barrel that it is a matter of wonder that it escaped unbroken . At a quarter past ten Mr. Maunders bade his new acquaintance good night ; but before departing he begged , as a great favour , to be permitted one peep at the grand oak hall . `` You shall see it , '' cried good-natured Matthew Brook . `` It 's a sight worth coming many a mile to see . Step this way . ''