a quarter past eight
They asked a few more questions , and then went away , evidently thinking that I was a little mad . However , they must have spoken to the landlord , who in a short time made signs that the carriage was at the door . `` I had avoided asking the men either the name of the place or how far it was from any big town , because that would have made the whole affair more singular . It was a quarter past eight when I started , and beyond the fact that I know by the sun we came pretty nearly due east , I have not the slightest idea of the road . The coachman could not speak a word of English . I should say we came about seven miles an hour and stopped once to bait the horses , so I suppose that it must have been between four and five miles from Rotterdam when I landed . '' Lunch had by this time been laid on the table , and at Dick 's invitation the Lieutenant joined them .