eleven o'clock
On the wedding morning -LRB- which fell early in July -RRB- she had , by agreement with her groom , prepared a delightful surprise for us . We trooped after prayers into the dining-hall to find , in place of the hateful porridge , a feast laid out -- ham and eggs , cold veal pies , gooseberry preserves , and -- best of all -- plate upon plate of strawberries with bowl upon bowl of cool clotted cream . Not a child of us had ever tasted strawberries or cream in his life , so you may guess if we ate with prudence . At half-past ten Miss Plinlimmon -LRB- who had not found the heart to restrain our appetites -RRB- marshalled and led us forth , gorged and torpid , to the church where at eleven o'clock the ceremony was to take place . Her eyes were red-rimmed as she cast them up towards the window behind which Mr. Scougall , no doubt , was at that moment arraying himself : but she commanded a firm step , and even a firm voice to remark outside the wicket , as she looked up at the chimney-pots , that Nature had put on her fairest garb . The day , to be sure , was monstrously hot and stuffy . Not a breath of wind ruffled the waters of the dock , around the head of which we trudged to a recently erected church on the opposite shore .