ten minutes to eight
The piano jutted out at right angles to a big , roomy sofa , which could , at a pinch , hold seven or eight people , the pinch usually being when , for the benefit of Timmy , the sofa was supposed to be a stage coach of long ago on its way to London . The Tosswills had been great people for private theatricals , charades , and so on -- Timmy 's own mother being a really good actress and an excellent mimic , but she did not often now indulge in an exhibition of her powers . At last Timmy looked round at the clock . It was ten minutes to eight , and his mother would not be down for another five minutes . So he went back to the window . All at once he saw in the gathering twilight , two people walking up the avenue which led to the house . The little boy felt surprised .